First Catch
by LuanOTP
Summary: Despite being surrounded by his team his entire life, Star Fox's ace pilot, Falco, has never truly had anyone by his side to call his own. Accompany him in this journey to discover that plus one he's been longing for. Rated M for some POTENTIAL ADULT THEMES. NO LEMONS.
1. Chapter 1

FIRST CATCH

Hey hey hey! It's not Awesome Sawss. It's Luanastar, and I'm en route to taking full custody of his account. Gone, but not forgotten. Anyway, the StarFox series is one that I wish got a lot more development from Nintendo (SM4SH DOESN'T COUNT). Buuut, seeing as it isn't really, here's a small story to express how I feel about it!

Luanastar doesn't own anything.

* * *

Falco switched off the engine to his Arwing once it was in the vehicle bay of the Great Fox. There was nothing better than getting a good off-duty fly around the cosmos once in awhile. He had paid a couple visits to the atmospheres of Corneria, Titania and on occasion, the ruins of planet Venom. Roaming the Lylat system without the pressures of dogfighting really knew how to put a smile on the blue-feathered Avian's beak. He was in search of something close to him, but couldn't seem to find it.

Hopping out of the cockpit with a clunk, the 20 year old ace pilot pocketed his radar and removed his favourite red scarf. He made his way through the azure-illuminated halls of the Great Fox, and entered his personal bedroom chambers. Thankfully, he hadn't any encounters with an angry captain, or even worse - Slippy.

The fearless pilot's star-studded grey bomber jacket was hung up on his coat rack, as Falco preferred to sleep in lighter clothing. Medals of strength, audacity and honour jangled and glimmered around it's collar. Memories of the Lylat Wars filled Falco's room like a vivid aroma, as he laid down on his bed.

* * *

"_What the heck?!"_

_The transmission from the leader of Star Fox's greatest rivals, Star Wolf, put a smile on Falco's face, as he witnessed the Wolfen aircraft fall to its demise. The fierce battle on the planet of Fichina between the two squadrons had finally ceased, with Star Wolf on the side of concession. _

"_Alright. That's all 4 confirmed. Status report."_

_The voice came from none other than the captain of Star Fox itself, Fox McCloud, who had been the one to land the decisive blow on Wolf O'Donnell._

"_No sweat, Fox." Falco boasted, twirling through the skies as he regrouped with his team members._

"_Y-Y-Yeah! All systems fully functional, Fox!" came from Slippy, cheery as per usual._

_A cough came from the eldest of them all, Peppy Hare, who was still a revered pilot, despite his age._

"_Ugh. I could really go for some cranberry juice. Otherwise, I'm fine."_

_Falco shook his head at the antics of his peers, but was glad that he had made it out of the battle with all his feathers intact. _

"_Alright, make sure your G-Diffusers are fine, too. We gotta keep going."_

"_Yeah, 'course."_

"_Alright!"_

"_Cran- Er, I mean understood, Fox!"_

"_Umm… Alright, but first, I need a favour. Falco? Falco! Falco!"_

* * *

"Falco! Falco!"

The bird with the same name flopped off his bed ungracefully, landing butt-first on the metal floor. Grasping his head, Falco pulled himself to his feet by grabbing his desk.

"Bloody heck, calm down! I'm coming…" shouted back the aggravated avian, opening the door to one of his teammates.

Fox stood at the door, hands on his hips and fully clothed for combat. Meanwhile, Falco was decked out in a mere red fabric vest and a pair of comfy and clean white shorts.

"How can I be of service, great captain of mine?" sarcastically greeted the cobalt fowl, leaning on the side of the door frame.

Folding his arms, the mature war hero cocked his head unsurprisingly.

"Care to explain where you went unannounced?" asked the captain, looking dead into the eyes of Falco, which were just as cerulean as his feathers.

"I went for a very enthusiastic walk." Falco deadpanned, leading Fox to roll his eyes. "Gotta stretch out those legs, ya know?"

"Out in space?"

"Now you get it, Foxy."

Falco then retreated back into his room, sitting at his desk that sat all of his favourite things: (that weren't weapons) His scarf, cell phone device, and a lovely orange plushie with blue wings that seemed to resemble a dragon.

Stepping a bit more inside the room, Fox closed the distance between himself and his close friend, before opting to rest against the wall.

"...This has been your fifth time consecutively, Falco. Why shouldn't I believe you're conspiring with Star Wolf? You've been awfully reserved recently, too."

Immediately, the feather-clad pilot rotated in his chair to face his captain and cohort, wearing a mask of shock as if his heritage had been insulted.

"Honestly, that's some serious nerve of you to accuse me, Fox. I'd rather have a giant egg for a roommate than team up with those herbs."

Falco intently watched a smile creep up on his captain's face, and already knew where this conversation was to be headed.

"Hmm… I dunno, Fal." muttered Fox, with a hint of smugness in his voice. "I've seen the way you've been looking at Caroso…"

"Just piss off, will you? Unfortunately for you, I don't swing that way. You can quit your stupid Panther nonsense."

Laughing heartily, Fox turned on his heel and headed toward the exit. Falco glared at each switch and sashay the vulpine's tail made as he reached the same entrance he came in from. It was weirdly mesmerising, but thankfully the bird could stop him before Fox could notice.

"Alright, alright. Just don't do it again without telling anyone, alright? Otherwise, I'll have to get Slippy regularly checking the tracking applications. Or even worse - I'll have him be your legal guardian for a day."

Falco shuddered at the thought of having to spend more than thirty minutes with the cringy toad. Thus, he gave an acknowledging nod to his commander, before Fox shut the door and went on his way.

The bird faced his desk again, making eye contact with the dragon plushie that mindlessly sat on the wooden surface without a will or purpose aside from the entertainment of it's owner.

"Well Dragon, he's not that bad lookin', right?"

"_Are you talking about Fox, or Panther?"_

Falco looked down meekly, then to the left.

"U-Um, yeah. Panther. That's who."

"_Oh… Sure…"_

Sighing, Falco nabbed his cellular device from the desk's surface, and slid it into one of his personal drawers below. He had already been caught multiple times sneaking out on the Arwings, so he'd have to take extra precautions to make sure his trips wouldn't be compromised. Whatever he was looking for had to be somewhere out there within vast expanses of Lylat. Or in fact, they could be right under his nose.

It was just a matter of finding them.

* * *

Hey! Hope you enjoyed that! It was short and sweet, as promised. However, if this one gets enough support, I'd be more than happy to continue it! Anyway, thanks for reading. I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon!

-Luanastar


	2. Chapter 2

FIRST CATCH

Chapter 2! Regardless of what was said and done last chapter, I just know I had to continue with this fanfiction. I'd love the chapters to be a bit short and sweet though. Simply so I can skip all the redundant filler, and get right into the meaty bits of the story. Hope you enjoy it, and if you're interested in joining my Discord server, send Awesome Sawss a DM!

Luanastar owns nothing.

* * *

"Left, Falco! Go left!"

"Pipe down, Slippy! Just hold on..."

"...I'm sorry… O-Oh! The shield! Get more shield!"

"Slippy! Shut up!"

The duo of Falco Lombardi and Slippy Toad both sat on the couch within the common room of the Great Fox, playing a flight simulator game. The controller was in the feathers of the former, although the toad continuously yelled unnecessary instructions. Soon, the session ended with the plane exploding into myriads of little metal pieces, and Falco eventually quitting the game. The blue bird handed the controller to the young engineer, before stretching out his arms and standing from the couch.

"You can be such a headache, Slippy."

The toad frowned. "Hey, that's not very nice."

"Don't worry, I'm yanking your chain. Now, I'm boutta head out."

"Where are you going?" questioned Slippy, starting up a new game. "Just so I know what to tell Fox. Y-You know - in case he asks again."

As opposed to answering his question like a normal person, Falco scoffed.

"I'm not a little kid. I don't know why he's always on my ass. If he bothers ya, just let him know I went to the bar." instructed the brash pilot. "You know, the _Boss Nicely_ bar on Sector Z? He better not follow me, though."

Slippy nodded his head like an obedient little toad, allowing Falco to end the conversation with his peer, and make his way to the vehicle bay. Of course, the captain of Star Fox had to be lurking somewhere in his room, so Falco ensured that he didn't make a ruckus on his way.

Reaching the bays, Falco boarded his personalised Arwing. The dashboard was a dashing indigo, and sitting above it was a hula girl in the left corner, and that same stuffed orange dragon. Booting up the engine with glee, Falco prepared to set sail across the atmosphere-barren and colourful field.

Accelerating forward into the vacuum, Falco pushed the engine to its limits, bursting out of the Great Fox and toward the previous combat zone. Glancing both left and right, the Arwing pilot could spot some familiar planets and areas where himself and his crew had been at war way back when.

On approach of the massive space station - that was painted green with a few Cornerian logos about it - the Arwing had received a message from a familiar face. Frankly, the feathered military academy graduate was just happy to find it was his captain, rather than General Pepper asking for errands.

"Falco! Where are you?" exclaimed the Fox, worriedly.

"Hey, chill out. I'm just going on a walk."

"Walk?! Come on, Falco! We both know you don't like walking!"

"You're right. Personally, I prefer the air."

While Falco snickered loudly, Fox seemed to be in the opposite mood.

"You aren't actually going to the _Boss Nicely _bar in Sector Z, are you? That place used to be a warzone! Next, you'll tell me you're going for a field trip to the Sargasso Space Zone!"

"Hey, just chill out Einstein, I'm still on your side."

The captain hadn't changed the downwards curve on his lips. If anything, it looked more emphasised as a frown.

"Falco, I'm really, really worried about you. There's some seriously bad company there."

Groaning, Falco threw his hands skywar- Uh… Towards the ceiling of the aircraft.

"Come on, Mom! I promise I won't talk to the bad kids!"

"I'm serious, Falco." demanded the captain. The look on his transmissioned face did not look impressed. "Turn back and head towards base. That's an order."

Despite heeding the order, Falco didn't alter his flight course.

"You for real? Listen - I'm only going to the bar for a drink. I'm not gonna cause any trouble. You can even track my Arwing."

Now, Fox seemed to be in deep contemplation. Falco was certain that he had put up a good enough argument.

"Ugh, alright." Fox finally conceded, much to the delight of the falcon. "You have one hour. Any more than that and I'm coming for you myself."

Falco loved the music that was coming to his ears. He returned the favour with a charming smile of his own, yet it had only made the captain shake his head in disappointment.

"Well… I guess I should be thankful."

"Falco… Just go."

The transmission ended as briefly as it begun. Thus, Falco was able to land on the space carrier in peace.

There were many aircrafts parked there in the designated areas, making Falco begin to reconsider his choices of where to get a drink. Nonetheless, he switched the engine off, and hopped out of his aircraft, eager to get a sip of a cold one.

Walking through the halls of the large bar facility, Falco passed by many anthropomorphic animals, but none he had actually recognised. As he traversed further down the hall, he could get a scent of the alcohol swarming throughout the building, alongside loud, indistinct chatter. The sort of atmosphere that practically formed the traditional bar setting.

Falco Lombardi now had a beam on his face, as he finally entered the main room of the bar. He felt right at home. Of course, the bartender's table was to the left, while there were a multitude of tables to socialise amid a flat screen television that broadcasted sports channels. Many animals occupied the seats surrounding them, accompanied with drinks of their own. Falco made up his mind and took a seat near the wooden counter across from the bartender, gazing at the various beverages behind the brown-furred ferret.

"Hey, 'scuse me?" Falco called out to the bartender, who then turned around from whatever he was doing. "Have you seen a pinkish cat around here? Blue eyes?"

Sadly, the bartender shook their heads, but at least opened their mouth to speak.

"Not at all. Is that a bird of yours?" the ferret asked, revealing a male voice.

Laughing, Falco resting both of his elbows upon the counter. "Haha, I wish. Just an old friend."

"Sorry, buddy, no dice." apologised the bartender, filling up a glass full of beer. "But, I have seen a pint glass with your name on it."

Falco grinned as the pint cup full of beer was generously passed over to him. "Thanks. Really appreciate it."

"No problem. It's on the house."

The bartender moved on to attend to some other customers, as the bird gladly gulped the beer given to him for free. He'd have to leave a tip, though. It was bar custom.

Over a small amount of time, the ambiance of the bar seemed to get a little bit quieter. It was slightly confusing for the revered Arwing flyer, since the building was in a state of uproar before he had gotten here.

Falco turned around to the members of the bar. Those at a desk, near to the television or playing table football and/or snooker all seemed to have their heads directed at one thing: The main entrance.

It's as if they had seen a ghost. It had reminded Falco of the face that Fox donned after destroying Andross on Venom.

Now, the ace pilot rotated the opposite way, and now realised what the occupants were staring at.

Three characters of close association to the bird stood at the doorway fearlessly. To the left, a panther of toned stature. One paw on his hip and a rose in the other. On the right side, a rival chameleon that made Falco shrivel in disgust. In the centre of them all, an armour-clad wolf with an eyepatch on his left eye.

All three then made eye contact with the lonesome bird, who wiped his beak of any remaining beer.

"Well… Hello, Lombardi."

* * *

That should conclude our chapter! I think I've got high hopes for the next chapter. If you find interest in this story, why not tell me why? See a way that I should improve? Leave a review! Thanks for the lovely read! Hope to see you all soon.

-Luanastar


	3. Chapter 3

FIRST CATCH

Chapter 3, now! Hopefully, things get a biiiit more interesting. Also I'd like to thank one of my dear buddies on the Discord, who actually helped me to post the second chapter there! You're big legend! This chapter goes out to him!

Luanastar doesn't own any franchises mentioned in this story.

* * *

The aura surrounding the area was tense. Silence so thick you could hear a sweat drop. Either way, Falco wasn't fazed by the new arrivals. He knew he should be, though.

The wolf strutted over to the bird, taking a seat right next to him.

"Hey, buddy. I'm not talking to a brick wall, am I?"

Falco barely gave the fearsome captain a side eye. "I ain't your buddy, Wolf. Go away."

In tow, came the chameleon and panther. The feline took a side on the left side of Falco, while the former chose to remain standing in close proximity.

"Since when did you get so snappy?" quipped the chameleon, folding his arms.

"Since when did you grow another pair? I thought I blasted yours off on Venom?" taunted Falco, standing up to meet the lizard face to face.

"Annoying bird! I am the great Leon!"

The panther beside the StarFox pilot stood up, placing his gloves between the two to part them.

"Don't be so hasty, Leon. Settle your differences elsewhere."

Leon the chameleon pilot backed off for now, so Falco took a step back onto his chair. The panther then cleared his throat, and smugly placed that rose of his closer to his nose.

"Now, allow me to introduce myself - I'm Panth-"

"I already know who you schmucks are." deadpanned Falco, leaning back onto the counter. Panther's ears drooped in disappointment as he hadn't gotten to finish his greeting. "What I'm more interested in is what you guys want outta me. I don't carry cash on me, you know."

"Listen, Lombardi. We aren't here to cause any trouble." told Wolf, the conductor of the orchestra, as he folded his legs. "We just wanna know a little something-something."

"I'm listening."

A cruel smile crept onto the wolf's face, as he gestured to Leon. Falco had a bad gut feeling about what he was about to see.

Leon reached into his back pocket, and got a grasp on something. Falco made sure he was looking sharp, just incase the rival chameleon pulled anything interesting out of that pocket.

Surprisingly, he didn't. Instead, he brought out a picture of a pink cat creature and placed it on the counter. One with piercing cerulean eyes, a pair that would make Falco's heart jump and breathing falter.

"You recognise this girl?" questioned Wolf. Falco could feel the gaze of the StarWolf captain upon his soul, and took a nervous gulp of air.

The Cornerian pilot stared at the picture briefly, and blended together a reasonable answer in a decent amount of time.

"N-Not at all."

Wolf leaned a bit closer to the falcon, maliciously. A small drop of sweat began to form on Falco's head; He could feel the heat coming from the canine like a campfire.

"Don't think I didn't hear your stutter, Lombardi. We've got intel that StarFox has been in close association with this cat since the Lylat wars."

Falco then shimmied away from the interrogator. "Geez, Lousie. Didn't you understand me? I said I don't know 'er!"

"Alright, alright. Don't get your feathers in a twist, songbird."

Smiling, Wolf then leaned back onto his seat, before swivelling around to call over the bartender, and order a drink. The ferret of a bartender came over, defusing the tension in the situation. Falco breathed a small sigh of relief, and let his shoulders dro-

"Hey bird-dude! Isn't that the chick you were talking about earlier?!"

Falco froze, as he had just been compromised by the bystander cleaning out a pint glass. The bird squirmed under the daggers being sent down on him by all three members of the rival mercenary group.

Seeing the awkward situation before him, the bartender slowly backed away and let the men do their thing. Hopefully they wouldn't make a ruckus.

The smirk that was on the leader's face grew wider, much to Falco's irritation.

"Well, well, well, Lombardi. I think that means you'll have to come with us for some… further inquiries…"

"And what makes you think I'm gonna listen to you chumps?"

Wolf slightly pulled back the open ends of his jacket to reveal the handle of a blaster. Immediately, Falco pressed his hands against his outer thighs, expecting to feel a blaster of his own. However, he felt nothing but air and his red trousers.

"Looking for something?" quipped Panther Caroso, dangling his rose petals across his own scarred cheek.

"Crud… Am I getting slow..?" Falco mused to no one but himself. Nonetheless, he stood up and complied. "In that case… Take me wherever you want, herbs. Once I get within Sargasso territory, the others would already know where I am."

Guffawing, Wolf put a hand on the reluctant falcon's shoulder. "Ain't that convenient? Since, we weren't thinking of leaving this place anyway."

"Uhhh…"

Leon and Panther joined in on the laughter, as they escorted Falco towards the (surprisingly clean) bathrooms. Falco looked back to glare at the sweating bartender, who could only shrug his shoulders and shake his head.

* * *

"You see, Peppy, this is what I hate about Falco."

Fox, Peppy and Slippy sat in the common room, where the toad occupied himself by playing games all day. The former duo were doing their own things in different parts of the room, on occasion watching the video game being played by their star engineer. In Fox's hands, he presented to Peppy Hare, Falco's blaster within his holster.

"He just leaves his blaster on the chair, and goes it to wherever! Granted, t-the safety's on, but this poses a real danger, not only to us, but to himself also!" ranted the captain, placing the blaster somewhere safer than the couch were Slippy was.

Peppy, leaning on one of the control panels, sighing exasperatedly. "Hey, don't stress about it, kid. That boy's a tough guy, albeit headstrong. I'm sure he can handle his own hide out there."

"I'm serious, Peppy!" Fox cried out, running his fingers through the fur atop his head. "What if he's gotten killed out there?"

"Fox!" Peppy shouted, a lot louder than anyone would've expected. Even Slippy paused his game over it. "You really need to calm down. Alright? Just give it another half-hour, and then you can see about paying Falco a visit."

Huffing in defeat, Fox obediently nodded. "Okay, I think you're right, Peppy. 30 minutes more only, though. I'll… I'll be in my room for now."

Following that final sentence was Fox's departure from the living room. Peppy had exhaled a sigh of relief, as he lay back in his chair peacefully. Meanwhile, Slippy was happy that he was able to continue his video game. Once the hare's acute ears picked up the sound of Fox's bedroom door opening and closing, Peppy snarkily confided in his fellow pilot.

"You know, Slip. I think he needs a… What do you guys call it..?"

"A girlfriend?"

"That's it!" Peppy exclaimed, clicking his fingers. "Someone to take the stress of being a cap'n off his shoulders."

"Ahaha! Well good luck believing in that, Peppy! Fox barely talks to girls as is!" chirped Slippy, turning off his video game.

"Don't you worry. We'll see about that one he meets the one."

* * *

The tattered bathroom door opened. 4 males entered, but only 3 had smirks on their faces. Falco was forced to sit on the surface next to the ceramic sink, with the back of his jacket kissing the mirror. The counter was cold and hard, yet above all, was the least of the bird's worries. Especially since, Falco heard the click of the door's lock.

"So what? What do you want outta me?" asked Falco, looking fixedly at the captain of the trio with disdain. "I know her, sure. What else?"

"We want her exact location." Wolf answered, crossing his arms across his armoured torso.

Falco replicated the action of the canine, crossing his arms rebelliously. "What if I told you, I don't know where she is?"

"Then, we'd have to show you a reason why having StarWolf as your enemy, isn't a good idea."

The avian ace pilot simply snorted, cocking his head.

"Is that a fact? Well, I don't know. Do your worst."

A sadistic beam manifested on Wolf's mouth. He turned to the Chameleon of the group, who also smiled and nodded. Leon then trotted to an adjacent sink, clogged the drain and let the faucet run until the reservoir was full. Next, he violently grasped Falco by the neck, and dragged off the counter and him over to the sink, where the tip of the avian's beak dipped past the waters' surface.

"So you prefer the air, eh Birdie? Let's see how you like thisss…"

Leon pushed, and the "Birdie"'s face was submerged in the not-so clean sink. Despite the fact he was sure this was supposed to be torture, Falco didn't see the issue with this technique. All you needed to do was hold your breath. Well, you do need to breathe every once in awhile, but otherwise, it was alright. Wait…

Falco began to flail desperately, flapping the wings that technically, he didn't seem to have, fighting for a breath of fresh air.

"Alright, Leon, that's enough. You're gonna kill him." ordered Wolf, to which Leon had reluctantly complied. Nevertheless, the chameleon did enjoy every second of it.

Gripping him by the feathers, Leon pulled Falco out of the water, who sputtered water about and inhaled the sweet relief of oxygen. He'd never take breathing for granted again after this.

"So, are you gonna answer my question, Lombardi?"

Coughing, Falco mustered up a reply with what little he had in his lungs.

"I sa… I said... I don't know…"

"..."

"...ya herb…"

"Leon."

"W-Wai-"

Falco had limited time to speak, before his head was dunked underwater once again. In the meantime, Leon turned around to his bystanding peers. Panther Caroso was stood up opposing the wall, while Wolf O'Donnell had remained in the exact same position that he was when they had first came in.

"You know, guys." began Leon, casually making conversation. "I'm really getting into this whole torture thing. I mean, just look at him squirm!"

Panther, who watched from the sidelines in awe, twirled his rose around. "You uhh… Do you have a woman of your own back home, Leon?"

"Yeah… We're going through some complications because of this."

"W-Wait… You do?" maffled Wolf, shocked.

"What!?" Leon yelled, still holding the spasmic bird under the water. "Wolf! I've known you for years, and you never knew!?"

"I-It's not that… Nevermind, it. We'll discuss it later. Bring him up."

"Fine…" the lizard grumbled, abseiling his arm down Falco's back, and pulling the bird back up for fresh air.

Falco scattered water droplets all over the place, as he once again writhed in agony.

"Come on, Lombardi. We just want answers." Wolf murmured, looking at the serrated claws on the ends of his fingers.

Coughing, the bird accustomed to not be underwater choked out a response - as well as some dirty sink water.

"What do you... even what with her?"

"If you didn't know, birdbrain, that cat laundered a lot of money from us after your show on Zoness." explained Leon, gripping Falco's head with steel-forged resentment. "So we were more than just broke by the time you were through with Andross."

"Ahem, the stories can wait." commanded Wolf, becoming impatient. "I want answers. Personally, I prefer getting these things over and done with promptly."

"Oh yeah?" the drenched Falco spat, looking right at the captain with an iresome indigo iris. "Well personally... I prefer... your Mom."

"..."

"Panther, break his arm."

"Oy, oy, OY!" cried Falco, bounding around in Leon's grip. "I was yankin' ya chain! I don't know where she is! I'm dead serious."

Wolf halted retorts for now, and leered at the StarFox member critically, before making a decision.

"Hmmph. What a waste of my time." concluded the careless canine, wiping dust off his shoulders. "Well, you two know what that means. Make sure you hide the body, and remember to clean up afterwards."

"W-w-w-w-w-wait, what?" stammered Falco, glancing back and forth at the two perpetrators. One of them had a crooked grin, yet the other had a look of reluctance upon his maw. "H-Hey! You're gonna just leave me dead here? Y-You can't do that?"

"Yes, we can."

"No, ya can't!"

"Yes, we can."

No, ya can't!"

To save you the hassle, this goes on for sometime. To Falco's surprise, it was the feline of the posse to come to his rescue.

"You know, Wolf. If we kill this man, we'll probably just increase the bounties over our heads. We couldn't risk the rest of StarFox coming to claim them." explained Panther, ignoring the stare being given to him by his partner Leon.

Wolf gnashed his teeth, but couldn't agree more with the clever pantherine. He stomped over to the drenched bird, who he pushed over, making him land in the corner between the wall and marble flooring. Then, he approached Falco, and bent down to his level.

"Hear that, Lombardi? You've been spared. Although, we'll know if you tattle. If you do…" Wolf then brandished a claw from his index finger, and tapped it against the keratin of Falco's beak. Standing up, the captain of StarWolf called for his comrades as he walked out of the door.

Leon followed closely, but gave one last departing smile to the soaked songbird, as he too left the bathroom. Panther Caroso was the only one left. Instead of leaving as Falco expected, Panther closed the distance between himself and the StarFox member in need. Gracefully, he knelt down, and gently caressed the underside of Falco's beak.

"A-Aah… W-What the…"

Panther shushed Falco, and warmly simpered.

"Remember, birdie. You owe me one."

Once finished, Panther stood up, and left the room, so that it was solely Falco left amid his thoughts. In a time like this, there was only one phrase travelling throughout the falcon's mind.

"What the heck… just happened?"

* * *

That got gruesome. A lot more interesting than I had expected at the start of the chapter. Regardless, I'd love for you to tell me your thoughts about this story so far! I'd always accept criticism! Also, in case you're interested, I've hidden a couple quotes from the original Star Fox 64 in this story too! See if you can find them all! Check you all next chapter!

-lnkOTP


	4. Chapter 4

FIRST CATCH

You know, I really do like the reception coming from this fanfiction so far, especially from within the discord. Glad to see that you guys actually read these XD Thanks nonetheless. **Also, for those who are reading this, who thought Raidon was going to die the next chapter of _That Sylveon_, you're a herb! A HERB!**

Luanastar owns nothing.

* * *

Falco switched off the engine to his Arwing after parking within the Great Fox, collected his plushie, and hopped out. He breathed a sigh of relief as he closed the cockpit to his vehicle, and entered the long hallways of the large space carrier.

The pilot looked at the orange-scaled dragon he had been holding in his hands. The tail that was alight on fire put a smile on his face, yet it couldn't compete with the bad gut feeling the pilot had within him.

Although, he heard footsteps that weren't his own, so the falcon halted, and stuffed his plushie in his… feathers, and waited patiently for the owner to show itself.

Of course, it was no one other than the captain himself, Fox. Falco wasn't sure what to expect out of the vulpine for today. Nonetheless, he wiped his brow clean, and approached the fox with any dignity he had left.

"There you are, Falco." greeted Fox, taking a glance at his watch. "Glad you actually came back on time, for once. How's the bar?"

"Yeah… It was alright, you know? Got a couple drinks, said hi to the girls." waffled the avian, who diddled his feather-fingers behind his back.

"Right, I hope you aren't too drunk. We've gotta… How come your feathers are wet?"

Falco stared wide eyed at the vulpine. "Uh, I got thirsty."

"...Umm… Right. Anyway, we just gotta do a patrol around Meteo, Sargasso and Katina under General Peppers orders in about a couple hours. Just some activity checks, reconnaissance, the usual. Better sober up, though." advised the captain, gesturing toward the kitchen area to grab some water. Maybe a towel, too. "I was thinking that you and I could check Sargasso, while Peppy 'n' Slip checked out Katina. That way, we'd get this mission done as soon as possible."

"S-Sargasso?" Falco blurted. Thankfully, Fox didn't seem to catch onto the desperation in his voice, evident by his ambivalent expression. "Why do we gotta do it? We ain't the police!"

Fox fiddled the inside of his ear with his pinky.

"T-Technically, we are. At least if General Pepper's calling the shots."

"Right…" mused the bird, unamused. "Well, I'll be ready in an hour."

Falco tried to walk past the slightly shorter fox, but he had repositioned himself to stand in the pilot's path.

"One second, Falco. I just wanna talk to you about som-"

"Can this wait?" interrupted the brash falcon, walking over to the side. "I… I just wanna sit down, man."

Fox, sadly scratched his head, but nodded. "No, no I get it. I suppose it could."

"Glad you understand, buddy. See ya."

Falco took no time at all in speed walking down the hallway toward his chambers. Fox was left alone to exhale, and talk to himself.

"Geez, Falco Lombardi - what am I gonna do with you?"

...

Falco clamped the door shut, and breathed a sigh of exasperation. He chucked his plushie back onto his desk. Next, he changed out of his damp piloting jacket, and wrapped a towel around his shoulders. The blue-feathered avian felt like simply breathing was a challenge. The events that occurred a few moments ago still rung in his head like a jet black 2-dimensional man waving a bell around.

"_Then, we'd have to show you why having StarWolf as your enemy, isn't a good idea."_

"_So you prefer the air, eh birdie? Let's see how you like thisss…"_

Be that as it may, the worst of them all, was what the panther had whispered into his ear.

"_Remember, birdie. You owe me one."_

Everytime Falco heard his voice in his head, shivers would climb up and down his back like a clingy kindergartener. It pained him to no end, and matters were made worse once Fox had briefed him about their later mission.

Sighing once more, Falco turned to look at his prized possession strewn on his desk. Of course, next to it was a comic book with an black quadruped canine sat next to a light-blue quadruped canine of similar size, with floppy ears. Although, that wasn't as of importance to the bird.

"Gosh, Dragon… Sometimes, I just hate all this. I wish I listened to Ma, and became an accountant."

_Well, Falco, you've had worse times in your life, no?_

Blinking, Falco laid back on his bed. "You know, I guess you're right. I was nearly brown bread on Venom…"

_Exactly that. Just keep a positive attitude._

"Ugh… I can't believe I'm taking advice from my own conscious. It's sad. Imagine if Ma saw me now…"

_Well um… Conscious… Sure. Just don't lose it, Falco. Keep your head on straight. Get your head in the game. Don't come into my room you egg. Get it into 5th._

"...What did you say?"

_I SAID GET A GRIP!_

Groaning aloud, the bird sat up, shook his head, and took his own advice. He walked over to his personal sink, washed his face - willingly, this time - before he slapped on a new green bomber jacket and called himself ready. Checking the time from the clock on his wall, Falco realised he had way more time than expected until the start of the mission. It wouldn't hurt to chill about beforehand, right? Well, that comic wasn't going to read itself.

* * *

_Falco was on his own, in the common room, staring at his phone. A picture was displayed on the screen, that he had been staring at for a little more than 5 minutes now. It brought back so many memories, both good and bad, to the lonesome songbird._

"_Hey Falco!"_

_At the sound of his captains's voice, Falco failed about erratically, trying to change the display on his phone. Although, much to the avian's frustration, it would only change to pictures of the same person. Before the blue-feathered falcon knew it, Fox - who was dressed in all but his signature pilot jacket - was already sat next to him on the couch, also looking at his pictures. Why didn't he just put his phone away?_

"_U-UH!"_

"_Well, lookie here! Is that your girlfriend?" cooed Fox, laying his eyes upon the slender pink figure of the cat that was on his phone display. "You never told me you had a bird of your own! Lemme have a look!"_

_The playful 18 year old outstretched his arms to get ahold of the device, but Falco pushed the fox away._

"_O-Oy! Hand's off my bre- phone! She's not my girlfriend!"_

_Fox stopped his attack. "She's not? Then who is she?"_

"_She's just a girl that I used to know before I joined this squad. She was in my old gang."_

"_Ohh… right. Did ya like her?"_

_A smile came onto Falco's face. "Doesn't matter - we had an argument before I signed up for this team. Doubt she wants anything to do with me."_

"_Oh. Sorry to hear that, man."_

"_It's alright. T-These things happen, you know?"_

_Falco dipped his head toward his lap, sullen by the conversation. Noticing his melancholic behaviour, Fox shimmied a bit closer, before snaking an arm around the bird's shoulder, and pulling him slightly closer. Then, the vulpine brought his other arm over, and placed it on Falco's other shoulder, wrapping him in a warm embrace. The two stayed in this position for an extended amount of time, before Fox noticed that Falco was beginning to fall asleep in the hug. Fox warmly twinkled. Then, he pulled the sleeping falcon further, such that Falco laid peacefully on the vulpine's clothed torso. The young captain then positioned his right arm behind his head, while his free left hand went to carefully caressing the avian's head._

"_T...Thanks… Ma…Goodnight…"_

_Fox's smile doubled in size. He hadn't any idea his feathery friend trilled like that in his sleep. However so, it gave the captain joy to hear it._

_Soon enough, the leader began to feel the effects of fatigue sweep over him like a broom. Fox closed his eyes, and entered the world of the subconscious._

* * *

"FALCO! Stop reading your darn comics and get your butt ready! We're off in T minus 10 minutes!"

The bird that owned the same name annoyingly came to arise from his bed, removing his comic book from it's haphazard rest upon his beak.

"Mind your own business, old man!"

Falco wiped away the tiredness from his eye, and heeded to the words of Peppy. He walked out of his room, and out into the main hallway. Turning in the direction of the armoury and vehicles, Falco unfortunately bumped into a passerby Slippy - Someone who he always had time for conversation with. If it wasn't apparent, by the way, that was sarcasm.

"Hey, Falco! How're you feeling?"

Falco glanced down at the pipsqueak of a toad. As irritating as the amphibian was, he surely did know how to wear a nice smile.

"I'm the usual. You?"

"Weeeeell, just got a text from Amanda, she said she's doing well and that she loves me so much. She's great. Oh also! The other day, I was reading this story, and, and, and, it was sooo good! It was written by this dude called uhh… Innovativeguy39. You see, it's about these foreign species of animals living in _a world called Grayh…"_

Slapping his hand to his forehead, Falco berated himself for not knowing better than to ask Slippy how he was doing.

"..._enjoys _long walks out in the open. Y'know, j-j-just for the leisure factor."

"Uh-huh… that's swell, Slip. Hey, do you have any idea why General Pepper's making us do this? It's not like Andross is lurkin' in Sargasso working on some bioweapon." questioned Falco, while the two reached their fated vehicles in the dock. To no one's surprise, neither Fox or Peppy had made themselves present yet.

All the Arwings were lined up in the following order - Falco, Fox, Slippy, then Peppy. This was on request of the avian wanting to be as far away from the toad as possible.

"Umm… General Pepper? Fox didn't say anything about _him _giving us the orders when he briefed us." replied Slippy, making Falco place his hands on his hips.

"Slippy, Slippy, Slippy. Why else would we be assigned this mission? Of course, Pepper gave the orders!" Falco argued, pressing a button on one wing of his Arwing, before walking to the opposite to do the same. The cockpit whirred open, allowing him to climb and nestle inside.

"I guess… I just think it's weird." called Slippy from across the room, a little miffed that Falco's ship was all the way on the other side of the dock. Thankfully, there was a large echo when the gates were closed. "I was on the ship the entire time today, and didn't hear about any t-t-transmissions from the general until Fox told me!"

Falco raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but eventually just shrugged it off and sat back in his seat. "You honestly worry too much, Slip. As long as you worry 'bout your own hide, you'll be fine."

The toad had no time to reply as the two remaining members of the team entered the docking bag, and climbed up into their Arwings.

"Sorry we're a little late. Get comfortable, everyone." commanded Fox, strapping himself in.

Each member sealed the entrances in the cockpit shut, and switched on their engines.

"Is everyone's G-diffusers working properly? Oxygen refuelers? Lunchboxes?"

"Yep."

"I'm fine."

"W-W-Wait! I left my crackers in-"

"Alright ROB! Open the dock gates!"

Static ensued from the public announcement speakers, before ROB 64's voice came into hearing.

"_Authorisation granted… Opening docking entrance… Good luck, StarFox… Have a safe trip… Analysing refrigerator contents... Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are available post-mission for your consumption."_

Falco looked to his left, and notice his captain's ears immediately shoot up in shock, just like a rocket.

"Oh, aha, don't mind that, guys." nervously jabbered Slippy over the radio. "I just added a bit of text to the code."

"Umm… right." breathed Fox, calming down. "You guys know of the plan, right? Peppy and Slippy, you two are off to Katina. Falco, on me. Understood?"

A mix of mumbles and rogers of receiving jumped about between the network of transmitters shared amid the four. Falco inhaled a breath of anticipation for the mission ahead. His hands felt shaky and his legs pattered back and forth on the metal flooring in perturbation. He just wanted to get this day over with already.

"Alright, let's rock 'n' roll, StarFox!"

One by one, 4 Arwings of a kind flew out of the dock and out into the dark expanse of space, leaving behind a snake of dust and smoke each as their only trails.

* * *

I think that brings about an end to this chapter. Tell me what you think about this in the reviews below. Better yet, tell me what your favourite StarFox pairing is! Maybe your wish will come true ;3

-Luanastar


	5. Chapter 5

FIRST CATCH

Hey, I'd like to say - The support has been quite nice, and very helpful! I hope I don't stop this run of form too prematurely. Anyway, here's the 5th chapter. Thank you all so much for your support. Let's crack on.

Luanastar doesn't own anything.

* * *

_It was merely a week after the conclusion of the Lylat wars against Andross. Despite being declared heroes throughout nearly the entire system in space, the members of StarFox still had a lot of bills to pay as a result of accidental infrastructure destruction for some of the citizen-harbouring planets that were involved. Surprisingly, a lot of them had come from Corneria. That'd teach them for taking pot-shots at the radio towers and satellites._

_Falco Lombardi, was all on his own in the common lounge - just how he had liked it. He was doing the paperwork by hand, and could feel the blood drain from his face every time he presented himself with a new bill. At this rate, the StarFox team would find themselves taking more jobs from General Pepper of Corneria just to help cover the bill._

_As every second passed, not only did the falcon feel reluctant to touch the desktop calculator, he also felt famished of sleep. Paper after paper, signature after signature, and cheque after cheque. In the span of a measly 7 minutes, Falco was already unconscious, limbs sprawled everywhere on the couch. Some of the paper bills, he had crumpled under the weight of his hands. He hadn't even bothered to get into a more comfortable position. As long as it meant he could sleep, Falco would sleep._

_Not too long afterwards, the vulpine captain decided on swinging by the lounge in nothing but a vest and some appropriate shorts. Despite the cold metal floor, Fox hadn't bothered on grabbing any socks to wear on the way here._

_Upon reaching the door to the lounge, Fox grasped a sight of the back of his dear friend and comrade on the couch, who was clad in similar clothing to himself._

"_You done with all that paperwork yet, Falco?"_

_Waiting for a result, the fox had placed his hands on his hips. He strolled forward to get a closer look, and found that the person he was supposed to be talking to was fast asleep._

_Fox felt a warm smile come upon his face without warning. The ace pilot on the sofa slept in a slouch, head to the side as if he was about to fall off the couch and onto the floor._

_Shaking his head, Fox walked closer to the falcon, assessing his body position carefully. He knelt down beside the sleeping songbird, adjusting his head carefully so he wouldn't feel any stress by the time he woke up. A few seconds later, Fox made his own executive decision concerning the location of Falco's slumber._

_Bending over, Fox slid his left arm below the nape of Falco's neck. Meanwhile, his right arm travelled underneath the back of his knees, thus giving the captain ease of assuming a position similar to a bridal carry.._

_With one heave from his legs - and a bit of back strength - Fox stood up, with the taller bird still asleep in his arms. Upon lifting the avian up to his furry chest, Fox noticed how little strain there was on his arms. It put a smile on the vulpines face just to see his feathery comrade and academy cohort slumber within his care._

_Step by step, waddle by waddle, Fox moved ever so carefully toward the chambers where the falcon deserved to rest his head. Halfway through one of the main metal-clad corridors, the captain felt an added pressure on his pectorals. Looking down, he had found that Falco had comforted himself in his sleep by placing his head - and his left hand - on Fox's chest. This had only increased the blush that the young captain had for his similarly young teammate._

_Finally, Fox had found the door separating the main hallway from Falco's barren chambers. The chilly steel barrier rose dramatically, before the falcon's room was on display for the vulpine to see._

_It had always been a desolate place, Falco's room. Even Fox hadn't seen what the mysterious insides looked like in months. Nonetheless, he had sighed a painful relief, as he stepped forward to lay his beloved friend to a hero's slumber._

* * *

Fox and Falco glided through the asteroids that formed the sector of the Lylat system known as "Meteo". Both of the skilled pilots had a knack for being able to fly through obstacles in space, thanks to their extensive training back on Corneria.

Falco checked his dashboard. Sadly, his dragon plushie was left on his desk, meaning he only had boring dials such as his speed or damage sustained by the ship. Huffing, he reached forward and pressed a round blue button on the central control panel.

"Oy Fox. Just out of curiosity, we aren't actually landing in Sargasso, right?" inquired Falco, keeping his eyes peeled for any asteroids approaching from a blind spot. "Sounds like a deathwish if we did."

"Nah, we won't. We'll meet up with the guys back on the Great Fox after we pass through Sargasso."

"R-Right… So what was the point of this assignment by General Pepper?"

"Umm…" Fox mumbled, sounding uncertain. Falco had to say, he's seen his captain in worse shape, yet it was always rare that he heard the confident vulpine so lost for words. "W-Well, I understand it's just to make sure everyone's in check after Andross' invasion."

"Gotcha. We ain't gettin' paid for this, are we..?"

"Sorry, Falco." apologised dew yellow-furred pilot. "I'm certain this is going to my father's old mortgage."

"Crud, man."

More flying ensued, and the duo found themselves closer to the Sargasso Space Zone, by about approximately 2 minutes. Out of the blue, Falco heard a noise emanating from his receiving speaker.

"F-Falco, could I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

A pause came from the end of the fox. Once again, Falco noticed that words seemed to evade his captain at all costs.

"Somethin' on your mind, Fox?" the winged pilot prodded, beginning to grow eager to get answers. "Or are you just desperate for my attention?"

"It's not that! It's just hard to put into words…" pouted the fox, yet he still took a longer pause after speaking.

Falco, impatient as per usual, decided that there was a time and place for everything… But not now. "Well, I think you'll have to stuff it. We're approaching Sargasso, quickly."

"Fine…"

"..."

"W-Wait!" Falco had called out, surprising the vulpine. "Fox, there's something I've been wanting to admit to you, so let me talk instead."

Instantly, time seemed to stop for the fox. The son of the famed James McCloud felt his heart run at paces one would consider extraordinary. Sweat streamed down on the inside of his gloves like a flowing river, and his arms felt like they weighed nothing.

"W-What do you wanna tell me?"

Falco let out a long sigh. "I was gonna tell you at the Great Fox, but I guess it's worth mentioning now. You know at the bar I went to, right?"

Fox exhaled disappointedly. "Yes?"

"Well… I got interrogated by those StarWolf punks. They were after Katt's location over money laundering."

"Seriously? You mean Katt Monroe?"

"Yeah, that's her."

Fox had placed a gloved hand in his forehead, and leaned back in his chair. "I can't believe this… I wish you had told me earlier, Falco! This… that is illegal! A complete breach of the treaty!"

"Oy, oy, oy!" called out the falcon, a bead of sweat dripping down to his chin from his temple. "Don't m-make a big meal out of this. Those herbs weren't supposed to know that I told you, or anyone."

"But… No, it's unacceptable! We need to confront them about it."

"...Do we really need to?"

There was a small pause before the captain had answered, making Falco quietly pant nervously.

"Of course we have to. Come on, Falco. Did they hurt you or anything?"

The feathered fighter pilot ran his hands through the quills atop his head. He began to feel as if he had no sense of balance whatsoever.

"N-No, they didn't. Look - if we're gonna go, then let's just go, alright?"

"Fine."

Both of the experienced pilots shrugged off their differences, before putting forward their thrust levers and delving further into the expanse of Meteo, dauntlessly.

Finally, they had reached the Sargasso Space Zone. Both of the Arwings had halted to take a good look at the giant carrier. Crimson paint covered the entirety of its exterior. Asteroids gently floated past the space station, but none seemed to make any contact with it. Falco scratched at the itch on his head.

"So um… We really gotta go inside, right? Like, now?"

"Is there something wrong, Falco? Don't tell me you're scared of these guys."

"O-Oy! Don't you start that 'chicken' garbage with me, Fox." retorted Falco, albeit slightly nervous. "It's just that these guys aren't trustworthy people. Even after that Cornerian-Venomian treaty thing."

A sigh was returned as a response. "Come on, Falco. I get that you're still a bit heated with StarWolf. Just remember that we're protected by an arbitration clause. These people would be smart not to pull any fast ones."

Falco finally gave into his reassurances, turning his head to look at his captain directly in the Arwing next to him.

"I guess you're right. Can we land in the carrier?"

"Sure."

"...Ladies first."

* * *

Both the fox and the bird had nestled their Arwings safely in one of the docks aside three different Wolfen II vehicles. Of course, this was after being granted authorised access by one of the dock's watchmen. Falco always found identification to be a pain. He never had pockets big enough to carry his ID around with him wherever he went.

The avian ace followed closely behind his captain as they both strolled by the common room for the space station - that was also a bar of sorts. Of course, the two got many, many stares as they walked past. Falco glanced in front, and noticed how headstrong Fox looked, and walked. A small blush began to form on his face, although Falco couldn't explain why.

"_Is that StarFox?"_

"_Nono, StarFox is the name of the team."_

"_Ohh…"_

Falco overheard a conversation ongoing amid two ruffians, and grimaced at the incorrect use of the name of his team. He then poked at Fox's shoulder, getting his attention. He then gesticulated departing this rotten place, yet the captain merely scoffed.

"You know, Falco. You've gotten soft recently. Like, Slippy soft" he remarked, making Falco rear in disgust. "Come on, man. I just wanna check on StarWolf before we head off."

"You must've hit your head on the way here or somethin'. What business do we even have here?"

Fox turned around, to smirk at the bird, as the two approached a large door guarded by a duo of ruffians on both sides of the door.

"Hey, this is good news. It's another thing to add against our old enemy."

"Right…"

The two guards, donning a full set of armour, eyed Fox right in his face. The ruffian on the left, a monkey, leered at the couplet of StarFox members, and was the first to speak.

"Business?"

Fox placed his hands on his hips. "StarFox."

Almost immediately, the guards shifted off to the side, pushed away like salad. They then opened the doors for the two StarFox rangers to engage their nemesis of many battles - StarWolf.

Before them was a dimly illuminated room, equipped solely with the colourful sparkles of the expanse of space to counteract the darkness. Falco could barely make out an iron desk, littered with a bunch of vaguely printed letters and papers on the top-most meshy surface. Three figures surrounded the piece of furniture menacingly. 2 and a half pairs of eyes glimmered in tandem with the rays donated from the cosmos. Given his experience, Falco already knew who was who.

"I knew I smelled a rat come in." came the rough and worn voice of a veteran who both Fox and Falco knew too personally. "Of course, it'd be StarFox. Come to arrest us? Claim a bounty?"

In the _Corneria of his eye_, Falco spotted his captain place his hands upon his hips in his usual fashion. Not even a full conversation was had yet, and Falco could already feel the tension in the air heating the room up like an industrial oven.

"Cut that out." commanded Fox, displaying no sort of fear toward the space pirates. "We're here on suspicion of StarWolf being in involved in financial fraud."

Wolf, who sat behind the desk with Panther and Leon to his left and right respectively, adjusted his eyepatch delicately. Time began to increase back to it's usual rate after the StarWolf captain had switched a desk lamp on, branding the entire room with colour, save for the corners.

"And if I may ask, what in Lylat led you to believe that?"

Fox had turned to Falco after the wolf's comment, and folded his arms. On the other hand, the anxious avain took to silently assaulting a sweat drop descending down his temple.

"Well, Wolf, we have intel displaying that you've been involved in embezzlement…"

As soon as his captain had spoke those words, Falco felt his throat clench up like a clogged drainpipe. One by one, each member of the StarWolf mercenary unit had their eyes grow open as if pried with a crowbar.

"...With a former client of ours known as Katt Monroe."

Whatever ounces of confidence the falcon had stockpiled all fell to the ground in a dramatic mangled disarray of scattered pieces. Falco's beak became loosely ajar, as he watched all sets of the shocked pairs of eyes fall upon him. He knew what he had done. He knew that StarWolf knew what he had done. Worst of all, Falco found that his captain had no idea of the effects of his actions.

"Well...?"

Upon Fox's remark, the StarWolf members traded a couple of instigative stares between themselves and Falco across the room. A minute of silent thought went by, before Wolf had nodded at Panther to proceed.

Panther cleared his throat, and put a paw upon his hip.

"It's true, but we were only after her location. We had intel to believe she's lying low somewhere on Zoness."

"There we go. Thus, we have authorisation to apprehend her from her location. Any intervention from StarWolf will result as a breach of the Cornerian-Venomian treaty." explained Fox, to the three miserable mercenaries.

Now, Falco turned to face his captain, who shared the glare with a coy smile. The fox then nodded toward the exit, as a gesture to get going to their next destination.

Fox turned on his heel, while Falco followed close behind. The avian took one last look behind him, and felt struck like a pin from the bowling ball of apprehension: Panther held a neutral look, but Leon and Wolf both drew swords from their stands, right into Falco's back. Fear shook the falcon to his bones, hand the urge to begin running poked at his mind.

Thankfully, the two had scooted out of the dark room, and back into the populated purple tinted bar.

While the duo began making their way back to their Arwings, Falco took this opportunity to tap his captain on the shoulder, with distaste.

"You having a laugh or something, Fox? We agreed not to tell those herbs!" accosted the angered avian. However, the puppy-eyed captain of the mercenary group pouted in defense.

"...but we didn't even agree on it…"

Falco remained unamused.

Fox put his gloved hands up. "Alright, Falco, I'm really sorry. Let's just get Katt, and we'll sort it out on the Great Fox. This place is making me uncomfortable."

After a bit of thought, Falco agreed to the notion. "Fine."

The duo headed out of the cruel stench of the alcohol-ridden bar, and toward the aircraft carriers where they had parked their Arwings - adjacent to two Wolfen II Aircraft. Falco climbed in his own vehicle, and stretched out in his leather seat. The long day never seemed to have an end.

* * *

I'd say, that brings an end to this chapter. Thanks for the support. Also, if you haven't joined the That Glaceon server, you better! DM me on Discord at Luanastar#5525 for further details.

-LuanOTP


	6. Chapter 6

FIRST CATCH

Pew pew. Number 6 is here. What do you guys think about this story so far? Let me know sometime! Also, to my Patrons, I absolutely adore you and your generosity so much! That's right Brian, Aqua, Sylv, Tikki and Latiking, I'm talking to you. You guys are like Power Rangers. Also, SYLV'S A GIRATINA.

LuanOTP owns nothing.

* * *

A pair of Arwings soared through a vacuum, twisting and twirling in ways each respective pilot saw fit. Their destination, a pale yellow coloured planet with low albedo, was only a couple of minutes away at the rate they were going. Falco looked ahead, glancing into the cockpit of his captain, before turning on the communications device to speak.

"Hey, Fox? You got a plan if we recover Katt? It's not like we can just take her back home to Corneria or somethin'."

"I haven't thought that far yet…" replied the captain, worriedly. "Although, the priority is on actually making sure Katt is alright. We can sort her out once we've ticked that box."

"Copy that, Cap'n." said Falco monotonously, reclining in his leather chair, before being smacked on the cheek with sudden realisation, making him widen his eyes for a brief moment. "Also, if I remember correctly, before we landed in Sargasso, you said you had somethin' to tell me? Now would be a good time."

"Um… I suppose it would be…"

"Well then?"

"H-Hey! Don't rush me! It's just that… Y-Your fly was open when we were in Sargasso. I wanted to tell you earlier, but I kinda didn't get a chance." Fox mused sheepishly.

Immediately, Falco spasmed in his seat. He looked down at his crotch area, discovering that his fly was indeed open in a pool of shock. With one hand, he took to closing it while the other maintained the flight of the Arwing.

"Seriously, Fox?!" screamed the avian into the transceiver. "You've seen me in underwear, for Pete's sake! Why couldn't you tell me sooner! Gosh, I must've looked like such an herb."

Falco watched his captain scratch the back of his head, guiltily. "I-It'd would've been awkward! Plus, that incident was all the way back during the academy!"

It was a memory the bird would never wish on his most loathed enemies. Merely, Falco shook his head, and used the remaining 4% of his dignity as confidence to move on from the wardrobe malfunction. Through the receiver in his ear, he could've sworn he heard Fox exhale relaxingly.

"A-Anyway, we'll pretend that didn't happen. Hang tight, Falco, we're entering Zoness air space."

"Heard."

The two Arwings swooped into the foggy atmosphere of Zoness, overlooking the swamped oceans left as a remnant from the Lylat Wars. Falco was only a couple metres above the wavy surface of the murky waters, and the sight of it all made his oesophagus tighten harshly, and stomach feel like it was in a zero gravity chamber.

Waves of literal garbage clashed against one another. The waste that sat upon the face of the water could only make the avian shake his head. It was another trip down memory lane, but he was on the wrong side of the pavement.

"Damn… aren't the Cornerian government supposed to be doing something about all this garbage? It's disgusting!" whined the exceptional pilot, weakened by the feature of a planet covered in pollutants.

"It'll take more than just a decade to clean all this schmuck up…" murmured Fox, feeling the heat from his cheeks begin to die away a little. "Let's focus on the mission at hand, though."

"Gotcha… Hey… Do you hear a harp playing, or is that just me…?"

Fox pulled a face. "What are you talking about?"

Without warning, Falco bounced up and down in his seat in desperation. "O-Oy! Eyes forward, Fox! Do you see that!?"

Fox squinted through his windshield, but didn't seem fazed. "Negative, Falco… Also, you really say 'Oy' a lot, don't you?"

"Mind your own business! I spot a birdie at 10 o'clock!"

Now, the fox had tilted his line of vision slightly at an angle to the left, and had his eyebrows skywards once he had noticed the vehicle Falco was talking about.

"O-Oh! Copy that, Falco, I've got eyes on that aircraft. Can't identify it, though."

"Let's go check it out, then!"

Upon Falco's suggestion, both of the Arwings increased their speed with the use of the nifty fitted boosters at the rear of the ship. As they got closer to their target, they began to recognise the familiar markings and hot pink colour scheme of the vehicle.

Static emanated from both of the fighter pilots' receivers, before a smooth female voice came from the speakers.

"Oh, well look what we have here. Two of Lylat's finest pilots. Here to rescue me again, Falco?"

Falco was smacked with a fluster; he hadn't heard that angelic yet seductive voice for the longest time, and now he was getting an overdose of it.

"K-Katt…" mumbled the blue bird indistinctively.

"...Sorry guys, no time for a reunion now - We're here for necessary extraction!" called Fox from the receiver, as Falco was otherwise speechless. "StarWolf are on the search for you, Katt!"

"You're preaching to the choir, sister." retorted Katt, her Cat's Paw starfighter swivelling through the Zoness atmosphere closely above the pair of Arwings. "They've been on my tail for the past month or so. Not to sound snide, but I think I'll be fine on my own."

"But Katt! This situation is ser-"

Fox was cut off - Two parallel lasers appeared from 3 o'clock, piercing the underbelly of Katt's aircraft. Smoke spewed out from the blast, as the hot pink vehicle spiralled and plummeted toward the murky seas.

"D-Damn, Katt!" Falco called out, as he turned right and announced a red speck that caught his eye, whilst also maneuvering his Arwing to a safer altitude. "Oy, Fox, that's a bogey, right side!"

Fox took notice as the thrashing sound of the Catspaw slapping the waters' surface shook the surroundings around them. "I've got a visual! Go secure Katt! I'll take care of the shooter."

Falco nodded, and shifted gears to get going toward the wreck that was his old partner's aircraft, while Fox got to work of his own, pursuing the assailant.

Gently, Falco set the Arwing on the waving seas, and got a good look at the state of Katt's ship; The lasers didn't seem to get anything vital, such as the cockpit. He turned on his transceiver, and spoke into it.

"Falco to Katt, do you read me?"

"...Loud 'n' clear, birdie." replied the frazzled feline over the subtones of silent static. "Didn't even see what hit me."

Falco cringed at the use of his nickname since the academy. Furthermore, by squinting, the avian could spot Katt in her cockpit, adjusting certain controls. "Well, do you think you could get that thing in the air again?"

"I kinda doubt it…"

Falco shook his head and pouted with unamusement. He knew what he was in for as soon as he signed up for this task. However, this particular mission was one he never could've anticipated.

"I don't even think I could get it repaired; the main engine's totalled…" sadly mused Katt, making a bad gut feeling of Falco's even worse.

"Alright, Katt! I get it. You're gonna have to ride with me."

"Aww, really?!" yipped the cat over the transmission ecstatically. "You're such a gentleman Falco, even after all these years. Now, help a lady out of her cockpit, will ya?"

Sighing, Falco opened the window to his own cockpit, and carefully tread across the partially submerged wing of his Arwing over to the bobbing Catspaw, where Katt had began getting out herself. Each step proved vital for Falco, as it caused a change in the buoyancy of the Arwing. Once close enough, the avian extended an arm toward the pink feline.

"Here, Katt. Grab my hand." he had commanded, a formal blush lying below his cheek feathers. "Easy, though."

"Oh my, Falco." smugly sang Katt, grabbing onto the gesticulation. "Now, make way for Katt."

The duo traversed across the wing, and back to Falco's Arwing. The avian had made space in his not so roomy Arwing for Katt to sit behind the main flight chair. Falco hopped in, and sighed. He pressed on the transmitter to speak.

"Falco to Fox - 'Ello?" spoke the falcon, rolling his eyes at the feat of Katt knocking her boots against the back of Falco's chair.

"_I hear you Falco, loud and clear."_ came again the captain, sounding as authoritative as ever. "_Did you recover Katt?"_

Looking over his shoulder, Falco glanced at the facetious feline, frivolously flipping a small ball within her paws. "Um, yeah. Couldn't get her Catspaw out of the water, though."

"_That's fine, we can recover it using Cornerian towing vehicles ASAP. Head back to base."_

"Right. Hey, wait - Did you catch the herb who totalled Katt's ship?" Falco questioned, but the fact that his leader didn't bring it up in the first place brought about a hint of doubt.

"_I couldn't catch him… I lost him in the really cloudy skies."_ his captain admitted, sounding very disappointed. "_But, we'll figure it out. I bet it's StarWolf, though."_

"We'll see about it. Meet 'cha back at base."

The transmission ended, and Falco heaved another sigh once he had enough of Katt prodding against the back of his seat.

"Ugh, alright, Katt. Looks like I'll have to take you back to the Great Fox. Do you seriously gotta kick my chair back and forth, though?"

Katt had giggled, but kindly complied to the bird's complaints. "I'm sowwy, wittle birdie. What I wanna know is how you're gonna get my ship outta the water; that thing is expensive, you know."

The sound of Falco's nickname being used felt like someone was scratching a fork on a plate. "Listen, we'll get it as soon as possible, when we can. What's most important is your safety. So, you know, don't make things any harder than it needs to be."

"That's fine with me, but that means you need to meet my demands."

"Demands?" the avian sputtered bewilderedly, finally getting the Arwing up in the air. "What demands"?

"Weell… I think you'll find out soon enough, Falco." Katt sang, changing her position so she could put her paws on the border of Falco's metal-rimmed seat. "Anyway, how's things been without me. I bet you missed me loads, hmm?"

Falco looked left and right, before blasting off toward the skies. "Umm… since we floored Andross, we've just been running the petty jobs for the Cornerian military for the cash. What about you?"

"Nuh-uh, birdie, I wasn't done with my questions." immaturely retorted the cat. "Next, have you found yourself a bird of your own since then, birdie?"

A small blush ran across the avian's face, contrasting against his blue feathers. "What k-kinda question is that? I don't know what game you're trying to play at, Katt, but I don't find it funny."

"Hey, I'm not playing any games at all! I'm being honest. I just wanna catch up with one of my closest friends in the entire system…"

Now that she had put it like that, Falco felt a little bit guilty. As the Arwing travelled at Zoness' escape velocity to exit its atmosphere, the avian felt a little bit more inclined to answer the feline's question.

"Umm… Well, whatever. The answer you're looking for is no - I haven't hooked up with anyone since. I don't have my eye on anyone either."

Unbeknownst to Falco, Katt was donning the largest grin known to man, while the Arwing became a transit against the massive background of Zoness.

"Interesting to know, Falco. I'm glad we finally got to meet again. It gets boring out there on your own."

"Heard…" huffed the blue falcon, looking out at the stars. "By the way, what's this money laundering thing you've been associated with? StarWolf are dangerous people."

"I know that, birdie. Ya see, to put it in simple terms, a couple of my guys and I had been in talks with StarWolf; they'd ask us to do certain stuff, like grab some cash for 'em, and we'd get a good percentage for it." admitted Katt, making Falco shoot up in his seat.

"Are you serious, Katt?!"

"I never claimed to be a good person." sneered the feline cheekily, making Falco pout. "Anyway, once they found out we started giving them fake money, they were after our heads."

"No way… I don't believe it. You know, this doesn't put you in the best position, Katt."

Despite Falco's concern, Katt scoffed sarcastically. "That doesn't scare me, birdie. It's StarWolf after my pretty tail that does."

"Well, I guess that means we'll have to protect you for the time being, at least while you're still a bounty target for StarWolf." sighed Falco, making Katt smile indefinitely.

"Gosh, Falco, I could kiss you for that. In fact - come here, birdie!" playfully yipped Katt, putting her paws on the bird's shoulders and pretending to move about to give him a peck.

"Hey Katt, quit it alre- HEY, HEY, **HEY, HEY, HEY! KATT, STOP!**"

The Arwing swivelled about in erratic nonsensical directions as Katt and Falco had a miniature tussle of their own. Next stop, the Great Fox… and this day still wasn't over for the avian.

* * *

Alright, that's number six done, and I really hope for you guys to have enjoyed it. Writing fanfics is fun, but soooo tiring. Thanks to every single one of my Patrons. I love everyone who reads my stories. Join the server, also! I reckon that you'd have a great time there, if you did.

L-uanOTP


	7. Chapter 7

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

**Raidon dies.**

FIRST CATCH

Needless to say, I like how this fic is turning out. Something to keep me occupied on the side. Imagine if I just worked on TS, though. I might just do that for a month. Chapter 7 is here, also. Thanks for all those who stuck by these stories for the longest time. You guys all really keep me in check. You're my sunflowers.

I also want to really thank my Patrons. You're all genuinely so generous. You're the true reason I'm eating while at uni lmao.

LuanOTP owns nothing.

* * *

It felt like it was about time they had reached back at the Great Fox; frivolous felines kicking on the back of chairs made the ride feel ten times longer than it actually was. Once the bird's aviation vehicle was fully docked, Falco Lombardi escorted Katt Monroe out of it and toward the more common rooms.

"Wow… This is what I call an aircraft carrier." mused Katt, looking around at the sleek and shiny metal walls to the corridor they walked down.

Looking about the interior, Falco acknowledged the linings himself. "I know. Can you believe it? Fox's old man pulled out a couple of loans to grab this thing."

"I wonder how much this'd go for on the market…"

Falco gave a side eye to his female companion's sneer, but carried on walking anyway. After a left turn, they both ended up in the common room, where three pairs of eyes laid their sights especially on the pink visitor.

The feline-falcon pair stood at the central door, while the main engineer of the team, Slippy Toad, sat on the couch across from a monitor. Peppy Hare, the veteran, was also next to Slippy on the couch. However, he was preoccupied with a bunch of papers in hand. Lastly, the captain, Fox Mccloud, was previously prioritised in leaning on the wall while on a mobile device. Bringing Katt back to base felt like bringing a girl home to meet his parents to Falco

Adjusting his cap, Slippy found a blush forming on his cheeks once facing direct eye contact with Katt Monroe. Peppy found himself in the same position, yet put an effort to make it seem less obvious.

"O-Oh! Katt! Glad to see you two made it back in one piece." congratulated Fox, coming away from the wall.

Falco looked to the relative West and scoffed. "Trust me, I'm just as glad."

Placing her hands on her hips, and swishing her hair to the side, Katt looked at the vulpine with half-lidded eyes. "Thanks for the escort, too. Was a really gentlemanly service."

Peppy had stood up after sorting his bones out into place. "We really appreciate your help on ZonessFox had briefed us on what happened 'n' all, so you're welcome to stay here as long as necessary to keep you safe."

Falco's eyes darted across the room for any signs that he may have missed out on; he never remembered that agreement being made prior to this. What worried him most was that there weren't any guest rooms on deck.

"My, my! I really appreciate that! Do I have a designated room at all?" asked Katt a little expectantly, clasping her paws together and looking to the side.

The 4 pilots of the team exchanged awkward glances, looking for solutions left and right. Unfortunately, no one seemed to have any sort of glimmer in their eyes.

"Well, looks like we'll have to sort this out the ol' fashioned way, boys." chimed Peppy, gesturing for Fox, Falco and Slippy to come closer to him.

"Old fashioned way?" Katt mused to herself, moving to an angle to properly see what was going on between the four team members.

Each of the StarFox crew members stood in a diamond crossed their arms, forming a fist with each hand to replicate a four-way Rock-Paper-Scissors battle. The creative project had four adults resorting to a child's game to resolve a dilemma. It amused Katt to see the likes of the more serious pilots, such as Fox Mccloud himself partake in such an elementary game.

"Ready?" Slippy called out. "Rock, Paper, Scissors, shoot!"

After the call, the only person who had a smile on their face was Slippy Toad himself, who had bested Fox and Peppy who were adjacent to him. The game was repeated again, until Fox and Falco were left to be head to head.

Fox threw his hand forward, and so did Falco. Furred hands clothed with fingerless gloves met a cobalt-feathered opposition. Shock came upon the captain's face the second that he realised that Falco had thrown a fully clenched fist. Looking back down at his own hands in denial, Fox stared daggers at his hands that formed a scissors; he had lost the game.

"Wham! You weren't even worth the trouble." exclaimed Falco, folding his arms in victory.

Smiling, Fox sighed and turned to Katt. "Aha, well, I lost fair 'n' square. Katt, you'll stay in my room for the time being."

Mentally, Falco fist pumped as hard as he could. Having Katt here was certainly a privilege in terms of having another person to talk to on this lonely ship. On the other hand, he was still able to remain a hold on his privacy.

Pursing her lips together, Katt stuck her tongue out through the corner of her mouth. "Well actually, I was thinking that Falco and I could just share his bed. It'd be just like the Hot Rodders, eh Falco?"

Fox, who clearly agreed with the idea, wore a cheeky smirk and folded his arms. "Well, that doesn't sound bad either. In fact, I think that's a pretty good idea."

The room erupted with Slippy's laughter once he had caught a glimpse of Falco's face. Avians such as himself deserved anything but this. It was simply too awkward and weird for him. Eventually though, Falco caved after some visual prodding from Peppy.

"Alright… Sure." the bird moaned, walking in the direction of his quarters. "Aren't you gonna come?"

Katt waved bonsoir at all her peers, before swivelling on her heel and following her comrade of old to his bedroom eagerly.

* * *

Now, they had entered Falco's private chambers, where the entire room had that classic smell about it. Katt had hung up her coat on the side next to Falco's, and got a good look around the place. It was quite roomy, but to be fair, they were in a massive space carrier after all. Otherwise, the place looked relatively normal. However, it wouldn't end there for the snoopy Katt Monroe. She peered left, and immediately indulged herself in the desk that had a few interesting things sitting on it.

"Ooowooo! What's this?" clamoured the cat, picking up an orange dragon with blue membranous wings and a talk lit on fire. Of course, it was a replica. "I didn't know you were into plushies, Falco. That's kinda cute, actually."

"H-Hey! I'm not! That was just a gift." Falco denied, shaking his head. Yet, Kat's face showed that she wasn't very convinced. Although, the avian could smell the smugness from where he stood behind Katt, and it made him seethe with embarrassment. "I-I'm serious!"

"Mhmm, don't worry, Birdie; I believe you." she calmly replied in spite, inspecting the rest of the room. "That's a lot of comic books, Falco. It's like a little teenager's room in here."

Falco took notice of his collection that was in a haphazard stack also, but shrugged nonchalantly.

"Video games get kinda boring, and Fox is really strict about the stuff we search on the internet, so comics are the next best thing."

Katt turned around, and placed a finger on her lips. To Falco, she looked to be in deep contemplation. Yet, she eventually shook her head and sat on the bed.

"Good to know more about you, Falco. Now, are we sharing the same bed? I'm really thinking about getting to bed soon."

The ace pilot unraveled his bandana, and glared at the cat in disbelief. "Geez Louise, Katt. You weren't kidding when you said you were demanding. You can sleep in my bed, I'll take the floor."

Immediately, a grin was slapped right on Katt's maw. "No way, Falco; you aren't embarrassed of sleeping with a girl are you?"

"Close it! It was just common decency, that's all." barked back Falco, but it wasn't enough to change the look on the cat's face.

"Falco, chill. We aren't gonna do anything funny tonight. Just sleep in the bed." reasoned the feline, still with a smile though. She then schooched up to one side to provide more space on the other. "There's plenty of space as well."

Falco rolled his eyes, but realised that she was right to believe that sleeping on the floor was a silly idea once he saw the amount of space on his bed. Was it always that massive?

"Alright, I suppose you're right. You can be next to the wall." agreed the avian.

"About time it clicked in your head. Now, could you turn off the light? I think I'm gonna get to bed."

"Sure thing, I guess."

Falco reluctantly forced his bones to get up from the desk and turn off the light. Thankfully, he still had a desk lamp that he'd use in those special occasions. After turning off the main light, Falco switched on the lamp, grabbed a comic book and got to work. This time, the cover had a pink quadruped animal and a bipedal red thing with a beak wearing a hoodie on it.

A couple of minutes of silence ensued. It was so silent that Falco could hear movement coming from across the hall. Probably Slippy again in need of a midnight buffet.

Although, shuffling then came from Falco's bed, Immediately clutching his attention from the book. The songbird could see Katt's glimmering irises under the starlight, and perhaps the dim help from the desk lamp also.

"Hey, are you still awake?" asked Katt, trying to keep her voice down.

"Nah, I haven't tried sleeping, yet." responded Falco in an equal level of volume. "Why? You need sumthin'?"

Katt shifted her head from side to side, covering a yawn with her paw. "No, no. I just really wanted to thank you, Falco. Like, on a personal level. I've never had someone so hospitable to me before. Thanks."

Leaning back in his chair, Falco caught somewhat of a blush himself. "Hey, don't sweat it. You helped us a bunch during the war, and… y'know… you were one of my best mates way back when."

A toothy grin manifested itself upon Katt's delightful smile, as she snuggled in bed further.

"That's the sweetest thing you've ever- wait, Falco are you blushing?" called out the cat, eliciting Falco to instinctively drift his attention back to his comics. "That's so adorable!"

"Ugh, goodnight, Katt." moaned the discomfited falcon. Rotating about in his chair. "Make sure you leave me enough space, too."

"Ahaha, fine. Goodnight Falco."

The StarFox member breathed a sigh of relief once he relished in the total silence. Granted, there was still a bit of shuffling coming from Katt. Otherwise, he was completely content.

"Oh, hang on, though." spoke the bedded feline aloud. "Is it alright if I leave this on your table?"

"Sure. Pass it here."

Katt seemed to be outstretching something in her hand towards her feathered friend. Falco took it without much mind, and found that the object received was something of a clothing item: a yellow vest.

"Alright, thanks. Goodnight."

"Night."

Turning back, Falco folded and placed the apparel in the corner of the desk, and got back to reading. Looking up a couple times, the avian noticed something interesting about the dew yellow clothing.

_Wait… if her top is here, what the heck is she wearing?_

Falco's chagrin started rearing its ugly head out for what felt like the 100th time today. Slowly, he peered over at his female companion, and witnessed her bare shoulders: no t-shirt, no straps, nothing. The bird's breathing grew restless, strained and erratic the more he thought about it.

Eventually, the StarFox war veteran forced himself to glare at the comic for just a little bit longer, before he too succumbed to the enticing attraction of slumber.

* * *

Early bird gets the worm. Actually, Falco considered that phrase derogatory. Anyways, the bird woke up nice and early that day, or whatever counts as early out in space. His eyes became open, and he sat himself upwards. He looked a right mess: His feathers were ruffled, his shirt a crinkled catastrophe, and his breath smelled toxic. Glancing left, Falco was shocked to see how graceful Katt appeared, while not even conscious. Wait…

Katt Monroe was sleeping in his bed.

It took Falco a second to calm down lest he wanted to freak out and make an uproar. Still though, his heart was off to a fast start.

Slowly, he crawled out of his own bed with a bit of a back pain, and looked at his face in the mirror opposite his desk.

_You could really do with a shower, Lombardi. Especially after such a garbage day. _

Thus, the bird left his room, and made haste toward the bathroo-

"Oof!"

"Ouch!"

Two pilots slammed into each other at a walking pace. To Falco, it felt like someone had just gutted and winded him. He was knocked to the floor with a loud clang, as his backside hit the freezing metal floor. Gazing upwards revealed the perpetrator - a vulpine with green shorts, topless and mohawk in a shaggy mess.

What caught Falco's eye the most was the fox's sleekly shaped torso. A simple gaze down at his pectorals were enough to dab a bit of red around his cheeks.

"Oh… Mornin', Fox. I heard watching where you're going is a good way to start the day." snidely sneered the avian, helping himself and his comrade up on his feet. "What are you doing up so early?"

Fox bashfully glanced at his feet. Falco wasn't the best reader of rooms, but he could for sure tell when someone wasn't acting right.

"I just couldn't sleep too well." truthfully answered Fox, sighing afterwards. "What about you? Is everything fine with Katt?"

Falco nodded humbly, before starting to sidle past his leader in the direction of the bathrooms. "Much better than I expected. Anyway, I was just off to get a quick ride in the Arwing before everyone started waking up."

Immediately, Fox frowned, as if he had just taken a bite into a mouldy sandwich. "Seriously? Even with what happened yesterday? Falco, just take the day off, will you?!"

Now the feathered wingman felt insulted. Furrowing his eyebrows, Falco responded with venom in his tone. "What's your problem, Fox? I just wanna go out on a cruise for a bit. Don't you miss being out there?"

"I know, I know, but… No. I said no, Falco. It's too risky out there right now."

It was too early for an argument, yet Falco felt his temper beginning to rise. "Well, I don't see how that's supposed to stop me going."

"Then that's an order, Falco." Fox argued back, glaring at the taller pilot under his command sternly, not shifting focus for even a millisecond. "I forbid you to go out there until further orders."

"So that's it, huh?" Falco retorted, placing one of his hands on his hips while he used the other for gesticulations. "I'm effectively grounded? Honestly, what's got you acting like my Mom all of a sudden?"

In the bat of an eye, Fox grabbed Falco's wrist with prompt speeds.

"Because I _care_ about you, Falco!"

Fox now looked back down at the ground after that outburst, while Falco, the recipient of the exclamation, stood across from him. He hadn't heard his captain yell like that in a long time, and now that he had, Falco was left starstruck and wide eyed. Looking closer, the songbird could've sworn he saw tears in the young captain's eyes.

Performing a 180, Fox turned quickly, and left down the halls, stomp after stomp. Realising the source of that weightlessness Falco felt within him, he gave slow chase after the sobbing vulpine, holding an extended arm out.

"F-Fox, wait!"

"..."

"I… I c-care about you too..."

* * *

We wish you a merry Christmas and a Happy new year! The next chapter for That Sylveon should come out next year. Jajajaja. Anyway, leave a review if you have an opinion. Thanks loads to my s. I really appreciate it.

-LuanOTP


	8. Chapter 8

**Tell your friends!**

FIRST CATCH

I really do enjoy writing this story. It really takes the heat off things when I'm a little jaded from writing That Sylveon, or perhaps requests for my patrons. BTW, thanks to all my patrons, too! You're the coal to my power plant, I hope you know that.

LuanOTP owns nothing.

* * *

Falco Lombardi watched disappointedly as his best friend stormed off in anger. Every patter from the fox's feet clanging with the steel floor made him wince. Sighing, the avian knew exactly where he was headed, and gave reluctant chase.

The captain made a left, and quickly speed walking after him, so did Falco. The bird saw Fox go into his room, and slam the door shut. The thud was so loud it had probably woken up the other inhabitants of the ship consequently.

Falco reached the closed metal door, and rapped on it a couple times with his tired morning arms.

"Come on, Fox!" called out the blue-feathered falcon, tapping on the door a little more. "I wanna talk to you about this, face to face."

There seemed to be no response coming from the dejected vulpine. In fact, it seemed to be much quieter than it was to begin with.

Breathing in and out in conceit, Falco knew exactly what Fox was looking out for.

"...Please."

"..."

"..."

"..._Come in…"_

It was as if a 1 ton weight was taken off Falco's shoulders. Entering the room courageously, he thought about how he was going to pry away the remaining extra 10 tons.

The room was darkened, as per usual. Layout wise, it was pretty similar to his own, but Falco detected that classic and familiar Mccloud aura the second he stepped in. Fox was lying on his messy bed, pillow over his face in disdain. You know it was bad when Fox was disorganised.

"Fox?" Falco enunciated into the dark abyss. "Come on, buddy. I wanna talk with you."

Muffled groans came from under the pillow, but eventually, the leader of the team removed it from his muzzle, and dashed it to the side of the bed.

"Okay… Fine."

It was extremely dark, yet Falco was still able to make out the green drooping irises of the vulpine. Fox sat up, slouched over, and glared his fellow wingmate dead in the eyes.

"Fox…" spoke the avian, coming closer to the Fox on the bed, and sitting next to him. "I-I uhh… I wanna apologise. For, y'know… The whole thing we were 'avin outside just a second ago."

Fox looked up, and exhaled. "You know, Falco. You frustrate me. You really, really do."

It wasn't exactly what the avian wanted to hear, but he kept his trapped shut and let the distressed captain continue.

"All I care for is your safety, but you completely disregard that, all because you want a trip in the Arwing. What if StarWolf decided to kill you back then, Falco?" scolded Fox, chucking his arms up exasperatedly. "I don't want that! I can't risk that! I just… Ugh… I'm sorry."

Falco looked intently at the Fox in frustration. The way he threw up his hands, closed his eyes shut and barked mercilessly at him gave him faded memories of his mother back on Corneria, chastising him for the final time before he had scampered off on his own to form an outer space gang. However, it had distraught him enough to wear a downwards curve on his beak. The avian sighed, never really wanting to ever be in these situations. He knew what to do, but it was another thing actually doing it.

Taking a deep breath in to summon all his bravery, Falco lurched forward, and exchanged his warmness with an embrace around the sullen Fox, who had gasped in surprise. This was the last thing anyone would've expected out of the brash bird, yet both accepted it, embarrassingly enough.

"I'm sorry too." croaked Falco. Fox could tell that it took a lot for the bird to even mutter that. It had put a small, faint smile on his face.

"I get it, Falco." Fox sighed, once his comrade had promptly let go of him. "It just hurts to see you go out on your own sometimes. We never used to hang out as much as we used to"

The avian was still a little bit freaked out over the fact that he actually did that. He eventually calmed down enough to reply, though.

"Listen, Fox. I don't go out in the Arwing just to upset you or nuthin'. It's just… I miss riding out for leisure. I wanna feel free without the crisis of war knockin' on our doors." explained Falco, seemingly going off on a whim. "But I can get with your concerns for my safety."

Fox huffed, knowing that there wasn't much way around this certain Lombardi. "Falco, if you want to go out now, it's alright. Just… not too often, okay?"

Surprisingly, Falco shook his head. "Right now, I think I'm alright. You know what? Since we ain't got missions for sometime, why don't we stay in and play some games? Just like how we used to do it in the academy."

Raising his head, Fox looked at his feathered compadre - who had a nice smile of his own this time - and gleamed happily.

"Why not?"

* * *

Katt got a late start to the day. Very late. Hiding out on enemy territory and foreign planets really messed with her sleep schedule. She was thankful for the way things had turned out for her, though.

Sitting up in bed, Katt noticed that the lights weren't turned on in Falco's room. The bird probably preferred having no lights, anyway. The feline smiled at her own little innuendo, before getting up to stand in front of the large, portrait mirror. Messy hair aside, Katt realised she was topless, ogling her exposed breasts that were begging for some sort of cover.

"Mmm… I'd say a good D… Maybe a little on the C side, actually…Nah, definitely a D."

She turned around on a point and eyed a wardrobe - that was part of the wall - right next to the desk with the infamous plushie on it. Katt curiously opened it to find some clothes she could appropriate, and picked out a long black t-shirt that read "A. Disastra" in large, bold, yellow letters across it's bosom. It was long enough that she didn't need to wear her classic black trousers, so she discarded them and called herself ready.

She stepped out into the hallway, stretching her slender arms toward the ceiling. From the portside, Katt noticed Slippy emerge into the long strip of a corridor via the kitchen. The waft of fried eggs and bacon was held aloft around his person.

"G-G-G-Good morning, Katt!" croaked the cheerful mechanic, holding a plate of a full Cornerian breakfast. "Did'ja sleep well?"

"Morning, Slippy." said Katt in response, placing her hand on her hip. "I slept like a baby, by the way. Falco's bed is veeerry soft."

Slippy gave a smile to seem as friendly as possible. "That's great. Between you and me, uhh, he stole Fox's mattress as a joke, but forgot to return it. Maybe that's why it's so soft."

Katt chuckled lightly, ruffling her white hair about. "Figures. That's a very Falco thing to do. Speaking of which, where is the little birdie? I could do with someone to pick on."

"Ahaha, well, he was in the lounge playing video games with Fox." ribbited Slippy, gesturing to the nearby entrance. "It's good to have you around, Katt. Now Falco won't make fun of me as much."

"Hmph! Don't worry, kiddo. I'll show 'im. Thanks!"

Slippy waved goodbye with his free hand. "L-Later! Don't forget your breakfast!"

Katt was certainly in the mood for her breakfast. On the other hand, there was something above that on the list of priorities, and that was the blue bird she knew so well. Entering the lounge, the femme fatale leaned on the doorway and found that Slippy was true to his word. Perhaps, about 99% of it, anyway. Both Fox and Falco were in front of the flat screen television. Yet, neither seemed to be engaged in their game at all, since it was paused. Taking a closer look, she discovered that both parties were completely asleep, and good grief, was it a sight to behold.

Fox had the strewn controller haphazardly placed on his thigh, where it was very susceptible to fall off and make an uproar. He was dozed off on the armchair, breathing in and out in a linear pattern. Cute. However, what was amazing in the eyes of the beholder was the vulpine's feathered counterpart, who had his legs curled up to his chest, resting his head peacefully on his captain's shoulders.

The sight was nearly enough to bring Katt to tears. Nearly. Although, it was enough to get her to sit and stay for awhile to witness the feat. Pulling out her phone, she decided to take the memory and make a quick screensaver out of it. Now, how about that breakfast?

* * *

"..."

"..."

***CLANG***

"AAAH!"

"WOAH!"

It was a chain reaction, catalysed by the silly placement of the controller on Fox's thigh. It fell to the floor, alerting the captain, who yelled himself awake. Unfortunately, Falco - who was completely fine being on the fox's shoulder - was jolted awake also, resulting in a complete frenzy.

"What the heck, man?" scolded Falco, stifling a yawn leaning away from his superior. "Why'd ya gotta wake me up like that?"

Fox, who looked as confused as ever, looked back sternly at the avian. "I-It wasn't my fault, I was startled! Geez… How long were we playing games for?"

Falco squinted at the large universal clock on the wall, but struggled to read the time well. "Uhh… Umm… I'm not short sighted, right? I think i've got morning vision..."

"I'm no genius, but I'd take a whim that it was well over 4 hours."

"Shucks, man… My breath kinda stinks…"

"When doesn't it stink?"

"Ouch. Not a nice thing to say to your captain, birdie."

The final voice came from neither Fox nor Falco. Both turned to the divinely soft voice, and were surprised to find out that Katt was there, sitting on an adjacent the entire time.

"K-Katt! What're you doing?" barked Falco, still seeming a little groggy.

Katt simply shrugged her shoulders, putting down a half-finished plate of food that the duo had missed out on..

"Hey, I'm only trying to enjoy my food. I'm not sure why you rascals were playing games for so long."

Fox now turned to look at the time. "W-Wha? I don't believe it, Falco! It's already 5 o'clock!"

"Ow… Ya don't gotta shout so loud…"

"Ugh, well, what I'm saying is that it's coming to the evening, and all we've done is play games!"

"...Did we get to the final boss?

"...No?"

"...Do you want to..?"

"F-Falco!" cried aloud Fox McCloud. Katt was certainly loving this. "General Pepper could have sent a transmission at any time! I need to get dressed."

"Fox, chill out, man." Falco said, reaching forward to nab the controller from the floor. "It's our free day."

Thankfully, Fox eventually leaned back into the couch, sighing and turning to Katt. "Sorry you had to see that, Katt. You weren't, uhh… You weren't there the entire time, were you?"

Katt smiled, diminishing Fox's capability to be optimistic. "Well, not the entire time, but long enough to grab a pic of you cuties." she taunted, waving her phone about childishly.

As a response, Falco merely folded his arms, while Fox blushed and turned his head away. Knowing the type of crucial information she held in her device, the risky feline decided to have a bit of fun with it.

"Mmm, especially you, McCloud. You've got a pretty cute face when you're asleep, y'know?"

Immediately, Falco's eyes shot up, daring to stare straight into the playful eyes of Katt. Meanwhile, Fox meekly scratched his head, a prominent fluster becoming a theme on his face.

"W-Well, shucks… I supposed my mom always said I was the cute one. T-Thanks, Katt."

Falco glanced left. Clearly, the fox was having a negative reaction to this. The poor thing barely knew what to say.

"It's alright. Say, you seem like you'd be a hit with the ladies, Fox?" purred Katt, crossing her legs and assuming a seductive pose.

"Uhh…" was all Fox could come up with. Wasn't very impressive in anyone's eyes, although it definitely made an impact in widening Katt's growing smile.

"Katt! Can't ya go bother someone else?" interjected Falco, taking some of the embarrassment off of Fox's shoulders. "What're you trying to accomplish?"

Katt stood up, plate in hand. "You're the one with a problem, birdie. All I'm doing is handing Fox some well deserved compliments. But, since you're so offended, I'll leave your boyfriend alone. I'll be in my room, boys."

The only female on the space carrier waved the duo a farewell, followed by her leaving the area with a tail swish here and a sashay over there.

Falco looked at Fox, who was the right mess painted a bright tomato red.

"I've seen that look before. I'm getting Fara vibes all over again."

"L-Leave it out, Falco!"

* * *

Now, the same Lombardi had found himself exiting the shower, after procrastinating washing for the longest time. A towel was sloppily flung around his neck, and he was clad in red shorts and a slightly baggy matching t-shirt. His feathers were ruffled, damp and drenched in water, but Falco didn't care. The avian waltzed into the lounge, keeping his beady eyes out for any facetious felines on the prowl. In fact, next to his fox-in-command was the lady that he kept his eyes out for. Katt and Fox seemed to share an interesting conversation between themselves, although the avian couldn't really make out what they were saying. It was interesting to see the both of them fully dressed in actual clothes, while he was barely decent.

The second Falco made himself known by leaning on the door frame, a grin formed on Katt's maw. She, alongside her new captain, turned to hand the bird some smiles of acknowledgement.

"Hey, Falco." greeted Fox politely. He seemed to have slightly redder fur around his face this time around.

"Hey there, birdie." called Katt, waving her hand. "Have a nice shower?"

Falco shrugged his shoulders, walking further into the room to take a seat on the sofa adjacent to the duo. "Yeah, it was pretty nice. What're you two yappin' about?"

"We're just catching up."

The warbler rolled his eyes. As if those two had anything to be catching up on. His mind tracked back to the team's prior encounter with Katt on Zoness; the feline only just acknowledged the rest of his team.

"So anyways, Foxy, a couple of things have been on my mind recently." said the pink cat, placing her index finger on her lip. "You're a cute kid. You ever had a lady friend of your own?"

Falco's eyes darted to the left, landing on the vulpine who nervously scratched the back of his scruffy head.

"Umm… there was this girl back at the academy, I suppose…"

"Oooo… Interesting." cooed Katt cunningly, crossing her legs over the creased couch. "Did ya get lucky with her?"

"N-N-No! We were just really close friends, but I wouldn't have minded…"

Falco raised an eyebrow, and crossed his legs. He knew exactly who the vulpine was talking about, as well as how accurate that statement was.

Snap. Katt clicked her fingers. "Damn, must've hurt. It's a shame, McCloud. If I was that girl, things would've played out much _much _differently. But heyo, that's just what I think."

Fox's mouth was slapped silent once he had put two and two together. Falco was equally shocked, and even though the compliment wasn't even directed at him, it was more than enough to get him in a flustered mood.

"I… Uhh…" mustered the captain. It was too much for the 18 year old, though. He desperately looked at his watch, and blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. "Oh! Um, I left my laundry for too long, it's gonna burn? I'll catch you two in a bit!

With that, the largely revered Cornerian hero darted out into the hallway with his tail between his legs. Falco was wide-eyed, and figured that his actions weren't unjustified. Meanwhile, Katt silently chuckled to herself, while leaning back onto the chair with delight.

The slightly more dry avian leered at the smug feline with a stare that could melt a hole through a lead wall. Katt turned, and winked at the bird as she stood up.

"Well. I think I'll take my leave as well. I'll be in your room, Falco." she sang, sashaying toward the door, her hips swishing left and right, while her tail swung completely out of phase. "Oh, and if you're gonna come in, make sure you knock first."

Falco was the only one left in the room, and he was completely flabbergasted. He barely committed to that conversation, and here he was, freaking out like he was a little schoolgirl or something. Well at this rate, he may as well be. There was only one word in the avian's head to describe this event.

"Shoot…!"

* * *

I really like writing this story. StarFox is easily one of my top 10 franchises. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this one.

-LuanOTP


	9. Chapter 9

**FIRST CATCH**

Salut, salut! April fools' is approaching quickly, but you won't have to worry about any of that with this story. I'm just happy to be typing again lol. I've had way too many examinations this past month - like one every week. This story is like my safe space lmao. Visit our Pokemon discord server if you haven't. Just send Luanastar#5525 a friend request on discord, and we'll sort it out from there.

LuanOTP owns nothing, but you've heard that before.

* * *

Falco was doing a lot of thinking on his way to his room. Boy, did he have a lot to say to that feline. He straightened out his t-shirt with his feathered hands after it being slightly crinkled in the chair he sat on.

"It's one thing appropriatin' my room, but flirtin' with Fox? What's that cat tryin' to prove?" the bird angrily murmured to himself, stopping outside of his chamber doors. Just as he was about to burst in, he stopped his hand from pressing the button that would grant him access. Instead, he remembered what Katt had told him earlier, and reluctantly rapped a couple times on the door.

"_Hello?"_

The avian remembered where he had heard that sing-song voice before. The same tone haunted his memories to seemingly no end. Elementary, flight school, his misadventures being a Hot Rodder. Falco cringed merely thinking about it.

"It's me, Falco. Who'dya think it'd be?"

The door opened for a distressed bird to meet a smug cat. Thankfully, the whisker-faced mammal was dressed appropriately in clothes Falco found very familiar. He frustratedly crossed his arms as Katt moved out his way to trudge in.

"Hey there, Falco." sang Katt, shutting the door and trotting to her long-term partner's cozy bed. "Took the liberty of stealing a couple of your clothes as pyjamas. Hope you don't mind, though."

"Figures." grumbled the blue warbler. Although, it didn't stop him from stealing a couple glances while he still could. One of his old StarFox-crested vests draped over the feline's torso carelessly, not bothering to capture her curves and meanders - to Falco's inconvenience. Covering her arms was one of his uniforms; a grey bomber jacket with its collar popped up. "Even my jacket, huh?"

Like a toddler aware of what they had done, Katt smiled gleefully, shrugging her shoulders. "It's comfortable. What else can I tell you?"

It was either now or never, and Falco was burning daylight. He folded his arms, hawking on the feline that took off his jacket, and hung it back in the correct wardrobe. He gave two coughs into a balled fist, and straightened out his t-shirt.

"Oy Katt, I've got a bone to pick with ya, by the by."

Katt eyed the standing avian, who actually didn't seem so impressed upon closer inspection. His eyes that were surrounded by crimson feathers glimmered under the starlight of many bodies outside the window behind them. She watched with slight worry and a pursed lip as he took a swivel chair from his desk, and plopped his tail-end in it, shifting about until he was comfortable.

"So…?"

Falco looked at one of his closest acquaintances closely. The intense glare had him less confident than he was just a moment ago. He played off his hesitation with a flick of an itch that he had on his beak.

"So, what was all of that earlier?" questioned the bird with poisonous conviction. Katt merely leaned back on his bed, not seeming fazed in the slightest by his interrogation.

"All of what exactly?"

Falco's beak hung open in disbelief. "Don't think I didn't catch you flirtin' with Fox."

Katt's previously furrowed eyebrows that expressed her pride loosened, and soon, her straight line of a mouth morphed to show curls at both corners of her maw.

"Flirting? My, my, Falco. Accusing a girl of flirting is a bit far-fetched, don'tcha think?" debated the cat, now crossing her legs, one over the other. Her tail behind her began waving to the left and right. Whether intentional or not, it certainly did catch the falcon's attention. "I'm not quite sure what you heard."

The avian couldn't believe it. He leaned over, discovering arm support by sitting his elbow on his leg. "You pulling my leg, Katt? I'll tell you what I heard." Next, Falco cleared his throat, and put on his best Katt Monroe impression by increasing the pitch in his accent. "_Wow, Fox! You look so cute! I'd eat you up for breakfast! Mwah, mwah!_"

Katt, upon seeing her cerulean cohort wave his hands in the air and put on a girly voice, removed the seriousness from the conversation by reeling back and laughing her tear ducts out. Meanwhile, the unimpressed bird leaned back in his chair and waited for the laughter to cease. His eyes gazed at the pink cat's exterior. Falco couldn't help not cracking a smile of his own. Katt lurched to and fro just to chuckle, and it made his chest feel a little more bloated than it usually was. His smile faded quickly, as the laughter began to die down. Hopefully Katt didn't notice that.

"Geez, Falco, at least warn me when you're gonna pull jokes like that!" Katt joshed, wiping away whatever amounts of salt water that threatened to drop down her cheeks. Seeing that the falcon barely popped a smile, she straightened up her posture and resumed her classic smirk. "Even so, Falco _Lombardi," _eliciting a twitch of an eye from the respective male who owned the name. "Why do you care so much that I was having a go at Fox? You aren't quite my boyfriend."

It stunned him to realise how much of a point Katt had. It wasn't like him to care. It wasn't like him to show attention to affection. Now, she had a free will of her own, and he was caught going back on the same words he thrived from. It was news to Falco's ears, to hear Katt relenting someone who had done so much for her. But what did he care for? Why had the feline's nonchalant smile and cotton candy words strike him like lightening this time? A duo of questions ran through his mind like a pair of Arwings descending upon Corneria. They wanted to make him pinch the bridge between his eyes as hard as he could and just be done with this. A sigh came out, yet Falco continued.

"Well, I know a bit about playing with someone's emotions." lightly quipped the avian. It was far from a joke, though, judging by his near lifeless facade.

Katt noticed his half-lidded and exasperated mask. His face represented that of the colour grey. His beak was neither open nor smiling, yet those eyes - Katt had seen those eyes before. The pair of orbs that eyed her pink, slender frame. She could tell that there was more to this conversation from the glimmer in his cobalt spheres.

"Oh, really, Falco?" she taunted, reminding herself to keep her posture up and tall in front of the azure-feathered ace pilot. Katt leaned a couple inches ahead of her, leering deep into Falco's eyes. "Are you implying that I'm toying with Fox's emotions, then?"

In all other circumstances, he would've said yes with his chest out, tail up, and beak pointing up into the air. On the other hand, there was a mysterious force on his inside, urging him to think about it, and that he did. Falco leaned back in his chair, thinking quietly to himself. Their eye contact didn't break regardless. His chest rose up and down in time with his shaky breaths. He felt his fingers start twitching uncontrollably - he hated it.

"Listen, what you do with Fox is between 'course, you 'n' Fox. I just want to know what your intentions were when you were with him earlier today." explained Falco, trying hard not to stammer within speech.

The cat didn't seem to care much for his enquiries. That same smug leer sat on her face since minute one, and it behoved Falco to wish that he could read minds like some species out there.

Katt rolled her eyes to patronise the younger Arwing flyer. She rolled into Falco's bed, throwing the blankets over her body without even regarding the bird prior. However, she still watched him intently as she climbed under the sheets. Once comfortable, she propped her head up with her hand while the same arm's elbow rested on the plump mattress.

"Maybe you'll find out one day."

With his eyes wide open, he saw Katt turn around so she faced the wall. There was no way that she was just going to leave him on the cliff edge like that. Falco continued to stare at the back of her head, expecting the snarky feline to face him and truly spill the tea. He waited… And waited some more. Then, two and two were put together, allowing him to realise that the conversation came to a close.

He exhaled a couple of curse words from under his breath, before standing up and trotting over to his mirror. There were many blemishes on the glassy material that the bird had neglected cleaning. On the surface, a defeated falcon.

"Mmm… Falco?"

If Falco had external ears, they'd have shot up by now. He rotated his head, pointing his beak in the direction of the cat that had only just turned around. The bedsheets now cocooned her temple of a body. They barely just captured the meanders of her hourglass frame, leaving the rest to Falco's imagination.

"Can I help you..?"

"Could you help a girl out?"

She dangled a shoulder loop of a pearly-white bra on her pink-furred finger. Meanwhile, the bird alternated between staring at the bra, Katt's cerulean irises, and the end of the blanket that was wrapped just below her collarbone that was obscured by his own vest..

"Are… Are you sleepin' in my bed without any underwear, Katt?" questioned Falco. He wasn't sure whether he was complaining or not, yet he could sure do with a certain answer.

Katt rolled her eyes, smirking profusely. "'Course not, but there's no way I'm sleeping with a bra. I'm not a robot." she chided, folding the bra neatly. "Couldn't you be a dear and keep it on your table for now?"

He sort of couldn't believe this was happening right now. Falco's blush was inconceivably prominent, and it had made keeping eye contact with Katt ten times harder than it already was. His arm was a little bit shaky, though he had kept it fully extended as he closed in on the piece of female underwear. After grasping the bra, Falco strolled toward the desk. However, he took heed of a tightly stitched cloth on the wings of the bra. "32D", it read. There wasn't much he could decipher from it, but one letter stood out from the rest of the information, and that was the latter letter.

Then, the multimillion credit question had hit Falco; How the heck had she taken off her bra without taking her clothes off? The thought boggled the bird to the point it had made him light headed.

"Goodness, me!" she exclaimed in mock disbelief, egging his fluster on even more. Falco didn't even have to look at her to know that she was grinning like the cat she was. "Already staring at my bra!? I had no clue you were such a creep! You're just as badly behaved as you were in elementary."

"H-Hey! I wasn't peekin'! Plus, you're the one who handed me the thing anyways." defended Falco, but the blood that rushed to his cheeks didn't do much to help his case. He huffed as he dropped back into his swivel chair, pouting in return to Katt's attention-seeking giggle. "I don't see why you have to bring up school for the millionth time..."

"I don't know, Falco." goaded the cat, playfully rolling onto her back, folding her legs under the sheets and placing her finger below her bottom lip. "You seemed awfully curious there. There somethin' that you wanna find out about me?"

This was torture. Unfortunately, the avian knew how right the cat was. It felt like she was reading his mind. He tactfully beat a prompt retreat before his embarrassment became anything more than the elephant in the room.

"Go to sleep, Katt." he rudely parried, waving her off and turning around in the chair.

Katt bit her lip, pursing and contorting it in dissatisfaction. "You're no fun anymore, birdie."

Falco sighed - it sounded more of a moan, though. He could feel the awkward sensation of the band of his shorts becoming tighter as his imagination turned it's gears. With all of his psychological capacity, he fought off any fantasies or implications that may compromise his pride.

"Tell me something I don't know."

Sighing also, Katt twisted such that her back faced the mattress, and her eyes were pointed toward the bland metal plated ceiling. There were occasional glances at the avian. Rather, the sight of the back of his head. Messy cobalt feathers stuck out in all erratic directions, but became more neat towards his face. Legs protected by shorts, ending in socks, were lazily flown onto the table, as the avian read a comic. It was common knowledge that Falco wasn't one to show off his feet. She watched with purpose as the ace pilot of revered team StarFox browsed through another comic book. There were just so many things about the bird that would drive any girl away. Be that as it may, the effect was different. The aura about him was different. He was so different.

Her eyes wandered back to the ceiling. Katt reminisced about the many males she had encountered back on Corneria. Blind dates would turn sour faster than a gone-off banana. Phone calls devolve into measly texts, then eventually no contact at all. Not to mention, men back home seemed so… plain, for the furry pink flyer. They all were one and the same, wanting one thing and one thing only. If she was lucky, there'd be someone that wouldn't want to head back to her apartment after the second date.

Somehow, Falco ended up back in her sight, flicking through pages without a care in the world. Free as a bird, if you will. Her heart rolled over, whilst her breathing lost its rhythm. She didn't truly want to go to sleep, did she?

"_Sksksks… Hello? This is Slippy. Come in, Falco, over."_

A portable transceiver sat on the stack of comic books tucked in the corner of the table. The avian had leaned over the table to grasp the walkie talkie. Socked legs went down off the table and onto the floor. He held down a yellow button and spoke using his gruff, suburban accent.

"I hear you, Slip. What's going on?"

"_Well… F-Fox and I just recovered Katt's ship, and we're en route to towing the Cat's Paw back to the Great Fox!"_

Falco winced for every crackle that had hijacked it's way onto the radio transmission. His feathered finger pressed down on the yellow input component again, and he opened his beak to speak.

"Sounds real swell, Slippy. Real swell." remarked Falco, nonchalantly spinning in his chair as he spoke. "Though, I don't like phone calls. Could ya get to the point?"

Slippy coughed a couple times over the line, before responding. "_R-R-Right! Fox said we could really do with an escort while we're both doing the towing."_

Audibly groaning, shoulders dropping, eyes rolling. Meanwhile, Katt reeled in the humour of the distress from her best spacie. The bird hadn't even bothered to remove his digit from the button, just to be sure that the amphibian mechanic could hear his agony.

"Seriously, Slippy? I'm in my 'jams, and you impromptu 'vite me to Zoness?"

Katt, the facetious feline snickered from behind the bird. Once he had turned around upon hearing her laughter, she got a good look at her avian acquaintance, who had a face that could send Wolf O'Donnell's scowl on a run for its money.

"_Sorry, Falco. Fox's orders. It's just an escort mission anyway."_

"Sure, whatever. I'll come to your coordinates in uhh…" Falco moved about to get a visual of the Cornerian clock in the corner of his room. "Let's say a quarter of an hour."

"_No problemo! Slippy, out."_

The pilot chucked the walkie-talkie back on his desk in a hump, glaring down the feline playfully kicking her legs back and forth in the air while she laid on her stomach.

"Did… Did you just call pyjamas 'Jams'?"

"Force-a-habit. Leave me alone."

Falco knew better than to entertain Katt's wild attempts to tease him. Although… Yes, he did just say 'Jams. Throwing on a flight jacket - that surprisingly had a feminine scent to it - over a tight orange flight suit that he had donned in a second prior, he headed toward a grey corded telephone just right of the door. He unhinged the phone, and pressed on a green button in the centre of where the number pad would be.

"ROB, get my Arwing ready." instructed the space ace, struggling to fit his boots on in the rush.

"...Affirmative, Falco. Your ship will be deployed in the docking bay in… 3… minutes."

The voice had Falco nodding after strapping his boots as tightly as he could. The door to his room was opened, and the avian turned around to glare at Katt, who returned the gaze with one of her own, albeit a quietly more miserable version.

"I'll be back soon. Try not to break anything." Falco deadpanned, folding down the collar of his jacket for once. It was a fresh start for the Lombardi.

Katt forced a smirk. "Sure. Escort mission or not, try not to get yourself killed."

He was barely smiling now, but there was surely a curve on the beak of the pilot. He gave one last wave, before he closed the door from the other side. The taps of his footsteps became quieter yet more frequent as time went on. Alone in the room, Katt treasured the memory of the smiling Falco while laying back on the mattress and closing her eyes. Sleep crept closer and closer - spreading it's blanket over the feline who was once awake, though now asleep.

* * *

Hey, this has been LuanOTP. I'd love to see who actually reads this story. I'd say it'd be interesting finding out what you think so far. Anyways, thanks for reading. I'm trying to alternate between writing this and That Sylveon, my other Pokemon story.

-LuanOTP


	10. Chapter 10

FIRST CATCH

Hey. Number 10 here. Thanks for all the support from you who read this story. I really appreciate it. Thanks to my patrons as well! It's all warmly welcomed.

LuanOTP advises you to wash your hands frequently, and drink warm water.

* * *

In the bathroom, the ace pilot twisted the knob of the tap, and placed his hands under the warm running water before it could spiral down the tap. Tenderly, Falco had washed his face to wake himself up a little before the mission had begun. He shook his head to get rid of the excess water droplets, and gave a good stare in the mirror ahead of him. There stood a tattered bird, peering back at him with half-lidded eyes.

"Crud, Falco. What changed..?"

The avian folded the collar of his jacket, contrary to his usual fashion, before calling himself ready. Down the hallway, and right to the left. Standing in the decompression chamber, Falco rubbed his eyes of any phosphenes and other unwanted bits and bobs. The doors opened to the hangar, and the azure feathered fighter pilot eyed his Arwing. The cockpit had opened after a few inputs, allowing the space ace to jump and land in his leather seat effortlessly. Looking ahead, the bird traced a couple of blemishes in the cockpits central window. Every flight in this fighter held a chance of not returning in one piece. Yet, the thrill always had it's ways of roping Falco back to whish past the planets, stars, miscellaneous celestial bodies and beyond.

Whirring into life, the engine of the Arwing switched on. All entrances back to the Great Fox from the docking bay were securely closed shut, and the only way out would be through the colorful assortment on the forever-expanding black canvas.

"_Bzzt… Good luck."_

Falco heeded the heads-up from ROB via his comms device, and lit up the exhaust pipe to propel the Arwing forward. Bounding into the expanse of space, the Arwing twisted and turned, performing rocking about and aileron rolling on the journey to his destination. Destination… The avian pouted, punching a couple buttons on the dashboard of the transceiver.

"Slippy? Fox? This is Falco. Do ya copy?"

"Yeah, we hear you, Falco. What's up?"

That was Fox's voice. Suddenly, the avian felt much more at ease.

"On my way. Could'ya send me your coordinates or sumthin'?"

"R-Right, gotcha. Slippy, send him our location."

"O-On it!"

"Thanks. I'll be there in a few." ordered the flightless bird. "Sit tight."

The screen in the centre of Falco's dashboard lit up. The coordinates and general whereabouts blipped on the heads-up display. Now knowing exactly where he was going, the pilot upped the gas, boosting even further away from the Great Fox, and in the direction of the outskirts of Zoness' atmosphere.

Several planets and sectors were passed by during the time that was spent travelling. Katina, Sector Y, Corneria. All Falco could say was that in all their most dire of ordeals, he'd been there. The Lylat wars weren't a memory he'd like to remember, but certainly, it was one he'd never forget.

Falco could spot Zoness a couple hundreds of miles away. He had realised that he had barely taken a glance at his radar. When you're a seasoned pilot, you'd find yourself not needing a mapping system. Take a gander at the massive, divine bodies, and you'd know. The avian pointed his beak down at his radar, gnawing on a piece of gum that he honestly shouldn't be chewing on while this sort of aircraft. Three dots appeared. Two were close to each other, but one wayward pulse was off miles in the opposite direction, making the pilot raise his brows in suspicion.

"Don't tell me this thing is busted…"

Looking about left and right, Falco squinted his eyes just to get a visual of whatever aircraft could've been out there. Yet, there was nothing. Or rather, there seemed to be nothing. It wouldn't be safe to assume he was in the clear, though he had a job to do.

Regardless, he flew toward his two objectives until he had a visual himself. Slowing down in front of the two other Arwings towing the rather large load of the Catspaw, Falco got a glimpse of the pair of pilots in Slippy Toad and Fox McCloud. They both seemed to be chatting away from their cockpits.

"There ya are." spoke Falco into the comms. He was greeted with a curve of the lips from his captain and an over the top wave from the mechanic. "How's towing going?"

"Well…" begun Fox, scratching his head. "It's not really a job I thought I'd end up doing, let alone in the Arwing, but… Katt helped us a lot back in Sector Z. Gotta repay the favour."

"'Spose."

Reluctantly, the avian shut his eyes and nodded, turning his fighter around in the direction of the Great Fox, travelling right in front of the rest of his team a short distance away. Setting the Arwing into a calming cruise mode, Falco leaned back and did some reminiscing. No doubt those interplanetary missiles would've cost a fortune to repair. Panic set in all four of the StarFox crew once ROB had announced their presence, especially since their hands were full with the Venomian fighter pilots. if it wasn't for Katt swooping in on time, who knows what could've happened.

"Hey Falco, wanna switch or sumthin'? Slippy here could do with a break or two." jestered Slippy, trying hard to match his captain's pace.

The toad was unfortunately brushed off. "No thanks, Slippy. You look just fine where you are." remarked the beaked pilot, fidgeting in his seat to try and cross his legs. No avail though. Peering at his radar one more time, Falco noticed that the detected presence that was pretty far off was no longer observed amid his Arwing's radius. He turned to his peers.

"Hope ya don't mind me lettin' ya know, but the Arwing picked up another aircraft not too far away from here while I was on my way." he explained, checking various dials and gauges. "It's disappeared now, but…"

"Heard ya loud and clear, Falco." came Fox, tempted to go at an itch under his chin while glancing at his own radar. "I don't see anything either. You don't think the radars are malfunctioning, do you?"

Slippy started pouncing in his seat. "N-N-N-Now way! I check the radars everyday and I-I've never noticed anything out of the ordinary!"

"Hmm… I don't know, Slip. Could've just been a lousy job if you ask me."

"Leave him alone, Falco." interjected Fox, shaking his head disappointedly. "Just make sure you keep your eyes peeled."

"'Aye 'aye, Cap'n!"

"Gotcha."

The Great Fox cruised safely around the orbit of Corneria, therefore Fox and his team had taken a route past Aquas and through Sector Y, as opposed to the difficulty of having to navigate through Meteo and potentially Sargasso. Halfway through the latter sector, Falco paused internally. A blip came from his radar, and he immediately shot up.

"Eyes forward - I got somethin' on the map."

"I see it too."

Falco pulled up, and fired the retros to turn up and around the duo of Arwings used as towing vehcle substitutes. Fox and Slippy cruised past at a steady pace, as the bird braked to scan his environment. Planets, stars, nebulae. Yet, the avian found no targets. The silence surrounding their Arwings for miles closed in on his fighter. Even the quiet whirr of the engine became unbearable for the pilot.

Beady turquoise eyes darted in all directions, searching for the stationary though looming target that threatened him through the rhythmic pulses from his radar. Each beep fell in time with a quickened heartbeat. The avian's trembling feathered hands gripped the control stick, wracked with anticipation of the masked menace that refused to show face.

No time to spare. Falco swivelled on a dime, not waiting to identify the target that flew on a curved path to his left. Eight blue lasers were fired from his twin-wing blasters, annihilating the quarry that dared to cross his sights in a blaze of a glorious albeit soundless explosion. The transferral of sheer momentum was enough to push the Arwing back a few metres and counting, subduing it's attacker to shut his eyes from the brightness of the blast. Once the gaseous aftermath had receded, the seasoned fighter pilot had blinked a couple times to get a better sight of the game that he hunted.

"Bogey down." announced a confident voice from the transceiver's speakers. It could only belong to the vulpine of the troupe. "Good job, Falco. You really showed that stray asteroid who's boss."

Starstruck, Falco watched in awe as debris from the large mass of rock, that finally decided to have another body's gravitational pull decide it's fate, clinked off the window of the cockpit. Glaring back down at his radar, the perplexed falcon had half a mind to translate his confusion into umbrage. There was no longer such a target located by the Arwing; the pulse had vanished.

"W-What the heck? I could've sworn I just saw a target…" mused Falco, worriedly eyeing his dials once more. His murmur was met with snickers from his peers, who couldn't quite empathise with the awestruck falcon.

"I dunno, Falco. Looked like an asteroid to me." joshed Slippy, who still tipped his crimson cap to the bird.

"Hey, I know what I saw!" defended the avian, who fought an uphill battle. "Well at least, what my radar said."

"I'll take a look at the radars when we get back to the Great Fox."

"I'd hope so."

Fox, who began to suspect slight frustration from his ace pilot, input his two cents.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Fal. Let's just head back."

The orders were complied to by the falcon, who was surprised to hear his captain refer to him in an abbreviated fashion.

"Right!"

"Heard."

Post-haste, all three of them upped their boosters, and shot off into space like darts toward a board, disregarding any perturbations that boasted potential to hinder their mission. On the other hand, for the falcon, it clung to the rest of his worries like a leech that bore fangs of delusion.

* * *

Three pilots walked back from the hangar after a job well done. In sooth, only two pilots were of good heart. The third had a pounding headache post-mission. His face was scrunched while his mind was begging to ask the question that had been answered enough times already.

Fox, who walked in front of the bird, yet next to the toad, turned back to send a thumbs up back to his wingman. "Thanks for the good job, guys. Let's grab some grub and head to bed."

Slippy showed no signs of protest when it came to meeting and greeting an old friend in food. However, Falco had halted halfway through the hallway.

"Well, I might just skip out on a meal this time." told the avian, waving his peers off. Fox didn't seem to take that as an answer, though.

"Come on, Falco. You're required to have a balanced diet while you're out in space. Don't wanna be getting too thin, y'know?"

"Just don't have the appetite. I'll check on you guys later."

"There's just no stopping you, is there, Falco?"

"Maybe not."

The avian spun and headed off in the opposite direction, so Fox and Slippy went on with their own agendas. His room thankfully wasn't far off from here. Falco felt like his back was aching and begging for him to take a seat in a chair that suited him better than the Arwing.

Opening the door, the bird was met with the expected. His chambers were as dark and quiet as he had left it. Light had came in alongside him, but left without as much as a goodbye as Falco closed the door behind him. The pink furred feline that he had farewelled was in a fetal position on the bed, snoozing away.

It was a real sight to behold. The pilot - who spent time taking off his jacket to reveal a sleeveless flight suit - hung his coat on his chair, and dragged his feet toward his bed. Stomach grumbles rumbled throughout the room. It was a miracle Katt hadn't awoke already.

Falco had removed the rest of his clothing, cladding himself in a pair of shorts and a standard issue vest that every space traveller should own. Sloppily, he had strewn it on the desk, not even bothering to fold them.

Carefully, the avian tucked himself into his bed, keeping mind of the spacing between his body and the cat next to him. Katt slept next to the wall, so Falco let her have her peace by turning his back on her, and closing his eyes.

Blackness.

More Blackness.

The blackness ensued. Falco felt himself grow drowsy. Two warm though furry snakes seemed to rope around his abdomen. Soon, a set of two plush spheres squeezed against his back, rubbing against him as if trying to charge each other.

"…"

This was when Falco's eyes split open. He wasn't sure whether to be afraid of the potential instigation or the fact that he was in Katt's subconscious grip. Either way, he'd hate to deny that he enjoyed the feeling.

Glancing over his shoulder, the feline seemed to be out cold. Eyes closed, mouth slightly ajar. Her chest rose every couple of seconds. The entire sleeping package.

Exhaling slightly, Falco moved his head back so his beak was facing outwards toward the rest of his darkened bedroom. He'd have to apprehend the feline in the morning for her unconscious acts. In the meantime…

A small, yet accountable smile appeared on his beak.

...

He could at least try to enjoy it.

* * *

Alright. Great read guys. Review if you'd like me to recognise irks and quirks that you may have noticed during the course of this chapter, or story rather. Love you all, and I'll see you next chapter!

-LuanOTP

* * *

_Now, she was certain that he was asleep. Katt's left eye fluttered open, examining the bird up and down closely. Eyes shut? Tick. Breathing patterns regular? Tick. Her hold on Falco tightened gradually, taking her time to snuggle into the avian's fabric to get a feel of his defined back muscles. The moment was ethereal, dishonest, and completely out of character for someone so reliant on tone of voice and charm such as Katt Monroe, but…_

_She could at least try to enjoy it._


	11. Chapter 11

FIRST CATCH

Thanks for sticking around for the 11th chapter. Writing this on the side has been so much fun. Secretly, it's been a really good way for me to improve my writing as well. Thus, _That Sylveon_ should be getting some better writing buffs, if you get me.

LuanOTP doesn't own StarFox, nor does she own any of its respective characters.

…

* * *

...

_As a third mission, they were tasked with aiding the Cornerian military to defend a base on the planet Katina. Four Arwings spun from the sky, descending upon the wartorn terrain to input two cents on the skirmish that took place directly above the base. _

"_Let's back up the squadron."_

_He needn't hear any more instructions from his captain to make a move. Falco checked all the flashing dials and beeping meters displayed on the dashboard inside his revered fighter vehicle, before joining the fray of Cornerian and Venomian ships taking turns clawing at each others' jugulars. The battle of attrition was fierce. Vicious wasps zipped about the combat zone, tearing apart their airborne adversaries with placed laser shots, waywardly flung bombs and charged shots. _

_The screams of a downed pilot through the transceiver made the avian shudder. He turned his head to the left. Another Cornerian fighter plane plummeted to the ground with the pilot's fate already spelled out for him or her. A contrail of ferocious flames followed the ship down to it's doom, and the resounding explosion upon impact closed the book on the story of that unfortunate Cornerian pilot that died protecting their loved ones. That soldier had friends. Family. A Future. Falco blotted those thoughts out from his head. To the Cornerian government, that fallen comrade was just another number._

_Folding up his sleeves, the falcon veered to the right, rolling behind the path of a fighter ship. A Venomian ship, for that matter. His targeted system made a clicking noise, confirming a lock-on for the target just ahead of him. One simple button was pressed in response, and lasers were ejected from the cannons of the Arwing, striking his prey with pristine precision. The enemy's cockpit was totaled - within a mere second, the entirety of the Venomian fighter plane had combusted into a falling ball of flames._

_A buzz came from the Arwing's communication's device just as StarFox's ace pilot was about to notify his team of another enemy down._

"_Falco! What're you doing!?" came the panicked voice of Husky and Bulldog unit leader Bill Grey. "That was one of ours!"_

_Falco knitted his brow. He performed a U-turn to get a better visual of the target that he had put out of commission, and the shock dawned upon his mop once he had a true gander. Spiralling toward their gateway to death, a proudly painted green Cornerian fighter._

_The avian looked down at the hands that piloted the weapon responsible for that pilot's death. They trembled in the horror of manslaughter._

…

* * *

…

The heavy eyelids of the pilot refused to open at first, though after a bit more physical persuasion, they creaked open, allowing Falco to return back to the dark, metal-plated reality of his room. A hand traversed his forehead, gliding across the top of his head until it gripped the slightly damp pillow that he rested on. He felt a want to sit up, though was urged not to by vice-like twinges around his love handles.

He eyed the ceiling with resentment. His head throbbed in pace with his heartbeats. Brows furrowing, he huffed exasperatedly. Vision wandering to the nearby desk, the bird aspired for a cold beverage that'd take him away from his subconscious imagination and unfortunately vivid memories.

A bottle of water, that was already finished. Perfect.

"Did'ya have a nightmare?"

Falco became still once he heard the voice, yet resumed motion when he had identified it internally. He turned onto the side that faced away from the cat, and painstakingly sighed.

"Yeah."

"Wanna talk about it?"

Good question. It irked the avian who slowly sunk into the pillow. Did he truly want to talk about it? Or did he want to wallow in the recollections that haunted his slumbers like demons with a destiny bond tied to his dreams?

"...No thanks…"

Falco felt the prod of a finger teasingly nudge his back.

"Come on, Falco. Quit the tough guy act already."

"You already heard me once, Katt." hissed the feathered flyer, daring to give a side eye to the cat at his six. "The last thing I want is for you to turn into my therapist."

Shuffling. Falco was no psychic, but he was certain that the feline had closed the sacred gap between them. There was a change in the distribution of weight on the bed, and it seemed to lean toward his side.

"Hmph. You never really changed, you know?"

The avian flushed out any embarrassment through the metaphorical toilet in his head, flinging some more blankets to cover his shoulders. "I'd suppose not. And I'm not your teddy bear. Do you mind?"

Awkward murmuring ensued. It had felt like Katt decided to no longer pursue his attention. Or rather, for now. His room was silent, as if he was the only person occupying the bed. The feeling that he had of Katt's arms around his waist had ceased. He'd hate to admit it, but now his love handles felt slightly lonely.

Pangs of regret pulsed from his head down to his stomach. Now the room had become full with a deadly toxin of remorse; Falco found it increasingly harder to breathe. Now, he had turned his head, peering just over his blue glenohumeral joint. The pink rogue pilot lay on her back. Her arms were folded to sit behind her head, as the covers stopped right at her waist. Dim rays hit her irises just enough to make them sparkle through his window. Her bosom, obscured by a vest he once owned, pooled above her chest, although slightly to their respective sides. A smaller mound poked through the cotton material on each side, tipping Falco on one fact. His eyes wandered to his desk. There was that yellow vest once again. This time, however, accompanied with a silver bra.

Huffing, he turned back to compensate for his blush. Yet, after a while, he realised how uncomfortable the silence made him. Soon, he too decided to lay on his back, and relaxed in the soothing position.

"Hey, um… Katt?"

"What?"

The response had hints of exasperation. Her tone pierced Falco's heavy chest like an arrow. Never a good sign for a morning as early as theirs.

"I'm gonna get a drink. Do you… Would you like one?"

"Sure. Why not." she replied lifelessly, not moving an inch.

Falco pushed the sheets off of himself, and exited via the foot of the mattress. He then visited the very frame of the bed, getting on his knees to reach below it. Katt leaned on an elbow to watch closely. With a heave and a half, the avian had revealed a stainless steel minifridge, that was plugged into an outlet below his bed.

"Wow." murmured the feline, as Falco opened the chilled container, and rummaged through its contents. "I never thought of you as one for big packages, but here you are anyway."

It'd seem like the avian got the wrong end of the stick when it came to that comment. Thankfully, he could hide his embarrassed face by looking back down at the chilled portable compartment. "Do you want one or not?"

"Count me in."

The ace pilot handed Katt an unopened bottle of beer, specifically '_Coro-neria' _branded beer. For a refreshing quench to all of summer's thirsts, drink '_Coro-neria'_.

Upon receiving the _cool, rejuvenating and unique _tonic, the fuchsia rogue looked upon the bottle with discontent. And maybe a cute little pout too.

"What's wrong?" asked the bird, fishing for his guilty pleasure in the minifridge. "There's no way _you've _never had a beer before, Katt."

"It's not that, birdie. I don't see how I'm gonna ever open this bottle without an opener."

Shaking his head, Falco outstretched his hand with a deadpan expression, beckoning for the bottle to be passed to him. Katt complied, and watched with interest as the pilot positioned the bottle cap inside of his beak. One flick of the wrist later, and the cap let up, hissing while Falco tore the glass container away. Promptly, he handed it back to it's surprised owner, before quietly resuming his own endeavours.

Katt took a quick swig before the beer's precious contents fizzed up out the bottle. "Mmm. I gotta say, Falco. You surprised me with that lil' gift of yours. Thanks for spicing up my morning."

"It's alright." replied the bird, finding a drink suitable for his tastes. The cool interior of the fridge had bestowed droplets of moisture on the bottle's surface. The cold touch on his wing told Falco it was just how he liked it. "I usually don't drink from here unless it's after a mission. Or y'know, maybe I'm feeling a little down."

The feline giggled to herself. "Wow, birdie. Didn't think you'd exposit so soon."

"Oh har, har."

Grunting, the bird heaved the minifridge back under his bed. He had crossed his legs after deciding to enjoy his drink from the floor. The nostalgic flavour lifted him from the metal mesh below him. As streams of sugar flowed down his throat, as did memories through the banks of his mind. Seaside, warm tides. The only thing missing was the grains of sand swivelling beneath his feet.

He'd definitely have to save the rest of the drink for later. Falco stood up straight, placing his drink on his desk. He could feel Katt's eyes of intent wander across his display of the penultimate stereotypical male sleep attire. Of course, it was none other than a t-shirt, shorts and a pair of socks.

The rogue space wanderer took another sip of her drink, sitting up straight as she did so.

"Hey, Falco?"

Falco checked the time on a wristwatch he had left on the desk, as well as many other things important to him. "Mhm?"

"Could we talk for a bit? Just you 'n' me. It's felt like years since we last met in Zoness, or during our times with the Hot Rodders." elucidated the magenta mammal, waving her free hand in a circular motion. "We didn't even stop to catch up since I got here."

The second he had heard the name of his old gang, the avian immediately cringed. It wasn't something that he wanted to be reminded of, especially since he had his new life now. Nevertheless, Falco brought himself to sit down at his docked swivel chair.

"I guess we haven't. Where've you been since we totalled Andross? You sorta jus' disappeared."

Katt put aside her beer for now. "Well, after the war, you guys went back to Corneria as heroes. No bounties on your heads, clean records, the whole lot. I knew it was gonna be difficult for me to come back even with how I helped. Corneria doesn't reward space pirates very well. Y'know, unless you blow up an evil genius space monkey."

For what wasn't the most amazing joke, Falco had to admit, it put a smile on his face. And maybe peppered his ego a little bit too.

"Sounds harsh."

"You're telling me. So, I just worked the petty jobs for some crooks in Sargasso - like Wolf 'n' all - alongside Mouser 'n' Kool for the time being. Paid pretty well, can't complain."

"W-Wait, Mouser? Kool?" blurted the bird, flabbergasted at merely hearing those names once more. "What the heck were you guys doin' with those punks in Sargasso?"

Her right hand was re-equipped with the beer bottle again. "Not everyone can join StarFox and save the Lylat system, Falco. Anyway, those two sons of bitches sold me out to Wolf and his cronies. I guess that's how we got here."

"How excitin'. Pretty stunning that you were with the Rodders for so long, though." Falco said, resting a hand on the underside of his beak.

"Eh, I suppose I had some good memories with 'em. Dated Kool for a bit too."

Reaching for his beverage, the avian realised just how long he had been staring into the feline's eyes, listening to her story as if he was a child sitting in front of their mother tell tales of the creek. Although, the second her words clicked in his head, he stopped pursuing his drink.

"W-Wait, what? You dated Kool?"

"Yeah, like for a couple weeks." Katt replied, casually shrugging her shoulders. "It didn't lead anywhere, and it was kinda messing with my profession. So, I broke things up between us."

"...I guess that makes sense."

"He was kind of a douche anyway."

"Heard."

Falco and Katt shared a laugh. It wasn't like the forced intakes of air that he'd make when Slippy would crack one of his lame jokes. The brash Starfox member had felt it emotionally. A reason to smile. A reason to feel joyous. Yet, it felt so surreal to him, that it was foreign.

Now, he had picked up his beer, allowing the chuckling to come to an end. One sip later, and he was engaged again.

"So, how'd you first meet Wolf? He's a nasty guy, I wouldn't expect him to be courtin' you or anything."

Katt giggled once more, sitting up to respond a little more comfortably. "Well, I met 'im inside of the bar in Sargasso. Y'know, _Boss Nicely_? Well, it wasn't actually him. It was just some of his lap dogs. Panther Caroso and the other weird lizard dude. Dunno his name."

"...Leon Powalski." Falco had finished with a bit of a hiss. He had just been reminded of his unsettled scores between himself and the green goblin of a space pirate. "Had some bad blood with that guy."

"I can tell, hm, hm. Well, anyways, we told him our business, and he said he had an opening for us. I'd suppose, over time, I got a bit closer to StarWolf. You know, until we decided to fuck 'em over." casually stated Katt, smirking as she gulped down the rest of the drink as if it was about to go stale.

Falco gazed intently at the way the feline finished her drink. He wasn't sure why, but it had impressed him. He had doubts that he could make a feat that was half as good as what he'd just witnessed.

"Right… When you say you got closer to StarWolf… What do you mean?"

The female space rogue's ears shot right up when she had heard that question. Meanwhile, the avian didn't think he had seen that before. It was uncharacteristic of the cat that was commonly as cool as a cucumber. It was uncanny to catch her as cumbrous as she was currently, and Falco knew there must've been some subliminal meaning beneath her actions.

"Ehh… It was just on business terms. They trusted us a little more to take the more dangerous jobs. That's what I meant."

Falco gently placed his drink down, and changed his position. "Y'know, for some reason, I don't buy that, Katt."

"Well for now, that's all you're gonna get." counted the cat, smirking and placing the empty beer bottle on the bedside desk. She then turned about in the covers, wrapping herself well, and lay back on the bed. With her back facing the rejected avian, she spoke. "Now, I'm gonna sleep for a bit more, m'kay?"

"Yeah, alright… I'll go and make myself useful."

"Mmm… See you soon."

Yes, his bones ached for him to rest for just a little longer. However, it was tending toward 10am Cornerian Standard Time; Falco was aware of how Fox felt about sleeping in. He shifted himself to his tiresome feet, and used his limited effort to slog out of the door, and into the main hallway.

He had left behind him, a feline that witnessed each and every heavy step taken by the avian. An invisible weight pushed her shoulders back onto the bed. Taking one more breath, she shook her head, and shut her eyes.

* * *

Peppy stepped into the common lounge. There the rabbit stood, at the mouth of the room. His red flight suit was a little tighter around the waist since the last time he wore it. However, no matter the fit, he wore it below his white jacket with pride. The sight before him didn't really pertain to 'pride', though.

The centre table displayed captain Fox McCloud, comfortable in his pyjama shorts and vest. Across him, the mechanic Slippy Toad (who hadn't found the decency in him to not show his bare torso). Both enjoyed a simple yet entertaining card game.

"Fox! Slippy! What're you two doin?" scolded the elder hare, approaching the duo. "Why aren't you two dressed in case a mission arises?"

The frog of the entourage reclined in his chair. "C'mon Peppy! General Pepper never gives us missions on Saturdays!"

Peppy shook his head disappointedly. "That ain't the point, Slip. We gotta be ready for anything! Back me up here, Fox."

"I hate to say it, Peppy, but Slippy kinda has a point." painstakingly admitted the vulpine, holding his set of cards in one furry hand, and turning his other's palm upwards in defeat. "Pepper hates assigning weekend jobs, because he's probably taking some days off as well."

"...Well, in that case…" The experienced rabbit hopped over to the fridge, pulling out a carton of cranberry juice and a bottle of unbranded rum. "I think I'll get busy and maybe call Vivian over the phone, then."

"You go do that, Peppy." told Fox, waving the departing hare a farewell for now. When Peppy disappeared from view, the captain immediately went back to an intense match of crazy eights. "Now… Let's see… You can put anything on a Queen, right?"

"No way! They have to be the same suit!"

Fox sighed, tugging at the collar of his beige coloured vest. "You know, you really drive a hard bargain, Slip."

Entering the room, Falco Lombardi made stern eye contact with some of his peers. It wasn't any surprise that the team's biggest card rivals would wake up this early just to go head to head.

"H-Hi Falco."

"Hey, Falco."

The bird simply muttered while approaching the table. He saw the speedy shuffling and quick comebacks from both players, and decided against watching his copilots play crazy eights for any longer.

"Do you wanna join, Fal?" offered the fox, smirking as he put down a Jack of Spades.

Falco shook his head, harshly trampling over to the common lounge's fridge. "No thanks. I don't win at anything - 'Cept dogfights."

Slippy giggled to himself, as he countered with a Jack of Diamonds. "He's probably too busy with Katt in his room!"

"Can it, Slip." the avian threatened, reaching for some juice to wake him up a little. "You know I just suck at games."

It was difficult resisting a smile, though Fox knew better than to josh with a tired Falco. He simply picked up a card instead. However, the frog's comment sparked a point of interest in his head.

"So, how is Katt, anyway? She hasn't been a burden on you, has she?"

The ace pilot had seemed to be frozen stiff in place. The stone statue of a bird deep in thought broke into sudden movement the second Fox has laid eyes on him. Eyes that had seen as many horrors as he did, if not worse. Yet, they seemed unfazed.

"Umm.. Yeah. She's been alright."

"Ah, fair enough. Hope she's acquainted herself well with the place."

Falco returned to the table - a bottle of orange juice in his hand - and replied to his captain. "She's definitely acquainted herself with my bed…"

"Does that mean you guys have done it?"

Two pairs of worried and weirded out eyeballs burned a hole through the Slippy's head. That'd make fifty-three times, if they were ever keeping score.

"What? Just curious, r-ribbit!"

The bird feigned trembling in denial. "M-Me and Katt? No way. I think we're just friends. I'm sure she feels that way, too." He took a sip of his juice before continuing. "Plus, I think she had recently gone through a break up? She might not want a relationship at all. Keep this between us, though."

"Darn. Just seems to be the harsh truth, huh, Fal?" added the captain, his gaze climbing Falco's frame until they met eyes. "At least, you'll still have us, y'know?"

"I can appreciate that. Thanks."

Fox warmly smiled, before returning back to the game. Unfortunately, his face fell when he had seen Slippy's joker card placed at the top of the deck. The frog laughed merrily as the vulpine counted and picked up five extra cards from the side. Smiling himself, Falco forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"You know what, why don't you hand me a deck? I'll give it another go."

"Yay! Falco's playing!" squealed Slippy, clapping his hands excitedly. Fox nabbed the entire set of cards from the table, shuffling them in his grasp. Frankly, he was relieved that he didn't have to play with his amphibious comrade, who he was certain was cheating at the game.

"Glad to have you back, Falco."

Nodding at his superior, the bird smiled in chill content. "A game or three won't hurt, right?" he said, receiving seven cards from Fox. Although, the more he realised what he was holding, the faster his smile made itself scarce. "Eh… Maybe just one game'll do."

* * *

**Okay, I'm finished for now. A bunch of my good friends on my discord server are writing a special chapter for one of my other stories. It'll be promptly posted as soon as it's done. Anyway, shout outs to JustaMegaMothim, Vixal and Ninja (and I think Ramen and Muda) for I believe that these nooks read this story from the discord server. Thanks guys!**

**-LuanOTP**

* * *

Katt waltzed around the corner, scurrying to get to the bathroom. It may not have been the wisest idea to consume more of Falco's drinks while he was gone. Hopefully, the cranky avian wouldn't mind too much.

She hurried through the hallways in nothing but a very long t-shirt that belonged to Falco. Passing the lounge, she halted her tracks when she heard quiet voices, saw green, orange and blue blurs, and smelled cranberry juice and rum. Her ears perked up, as she silently and secretly stood around the corner.

"_M-Me and Katt? No way. I think we're just friends. I'm sure she feels that way, too."_

Out the window of a fifty-story building, her heart jumped out with no parachute, and crushed itself on the concrete floor. Falco's voice shattered her from the inside. What on Earth would make him believe that?

"_Plus, I think she had recently gone through a break up? She might not want a relationship at all. Keep this between us, though."_

She had heard enough. Misplacement of trust was the worst kind of betrayal, and her heart could no longer bear to hear any more.

She straightened out the garment that ran over her chest, and stormed off toward the bathroom, cheeks flushed in anger.


End file.
